A local restaurant had a practice of serving a small, two-layer celebration cake decorated with royal icing when guests came for
birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions. The royal icing was prepared with uncooked, whipped egg whites, powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Mary Beth, the owner's aunt, made the cakes in her home and was paid $8.00 for each cake she delivered even though the restaurant served the cakes for free. Early on a Saturday afternoon the restaurant began receiving phone calls from guests complaining of abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea after eating at the establishment the night before. The local regulatory agency determined that Salmonellosis caused the food-related illness of the affected guests, and the royal icing was the source of the outbreak. 1. What was done incorrectly at the restaurant? 2. How could this outbreak have been prevented?
1. The restaurant did not use eggs of good origin and did not promote proper cleaning of the mesos before preparing the cakes with them. Salmonella is a bacteria that can be present in the shell of eggs and is very dangerous in recipes that use raw eggs, such as the icing used in the cake presented in the question above, so it is important that the eggs are of good origin and are properly sanitized , or that foods that offer raw eggs to customers are avoided.
2. As the real icing is the big difference of these cakes and as it needs to be made with raw eggs, the restaurant can avoid salmonella contamination by cleaning the eggs well with a sheet of paper towel, as they are removed from the packaging. These eggs must be refrigerated, but the refrigerator door must be avoided due to temperature instability, which can cause cracks in the shell and allow the entry of bacteria. The ideal is to store the eggs inside the refrigerator, away from the door and in the coldest place.
