High Cost of Foodborne Illness
A single outbreak of foodborne illness can cost a foodservice operation as much as $75,000 in legal fees, medical claims, lost employee wages, cleaning and sanitizing, discarded food supplies, and lost income from negative publicity and/or being shut down. That figure increases dramatically if the incident involves death or serious injury.
National Restaurant Association
Black mold (Aspergillus niger) - fruiting structure and spores. Aspergillus niger is a ubiquitous soil fungus that is commonly found in indoor environments, where its black colonies can be confused with those of Stachybotrys spp. The conidiophore (fruiting structure) is the swollen end of a hyphae (the fungal vegetative structure) from which radiate numerous sterigmata (short lengths of narrow hyphae) ending in short chains of conidia (spores). Aspergillus species are common saprophytic molds that grow in household dust, soil, and decaying vegetable matter, including stale food. Some species cause a variety of diseases in humans, including: otomycosis, a chronic fungal growth of the passage into the ear; allergic aspergillosis, a hypersensitive reaction (lung disease) provoked by repeated inhalation of Aspergillus spores. Some strains of A.niger have been reported to produce potent mycotoxins called ochratoxins. Various strains of A. niger are used in the industrial preparation of citric acid and gluconic acid.
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Popular Topics: MRSA | Staph | Norovirus | Flu | E. Coli | C. Difficile | Salmonella | Cleaning for Health | Nosocomial Infections | Disinfection | Bacteria | Viruses | Indoor Air Quality | Asthma | Allergies | Allergen | Mold
