Hidden Dangers Of Working In The Food Industry [Infographic]

The food industry can be brutal. The first job I ever had was working at a funnel cake stand at an amusement park that shall remain nameless. On my first day, I arrived in my cardboard shorts and polyester polo starry-eyed and excited to try my hand at making my single favorite food in the park. My manager had other ideas. In funnel cake stands, as in life, there will always be heirarchies. One does not simply rise to the status of funnel cake chef over night. You have to do your time in the trenches first.

For three straight days I did nothing but cut strawberries. This task seems simple enough until you realize how many crates of strawberries are riddled with blue and white mold, chilled spiders and mangled mosquitoes. The food stands that had fed me fries and funnel cakes and double-scoop ice cream cones I came to realize, were all pretty gross.

Not just gross, but dangerous. Once, a coworker sliced her thumb so badly on the razor-sharp edge of a tomato sauce can that she left a trail of blood in the back room that looked like one of those Family Circus cartoons that track the movements of that melon-headed blonde kid. I slipped on oil-slick floors. I saw my friends burn their hands on soft pretzel ovens. Once, a tornado tore through the park and we could barely close the front shutters in time. A gust of wind blew rain straight into our hot fryers, making them pop and splatter, hitting everyone in the room with hot oil.

The food industry can be a pretty dangerous business. Anyone who’s worked with food knows this, but it’s hard to explain it to people who haven’t been there. Thankfully, a new infographic can help. The infographic, presented by Ankin Law, is called The Hidden Dangers of Working in the Food Industry. The infographic also comes with a full report that you can read for even more in-depth info. Take a look before you head out for a bite to eat. You may just decide to eat in.