Occasional Quantity Cooks

Objectives Recognize factors that lead to foodborne illness. Successfully manage those risk factors. Overall, our objectives in this training are to: Recognize the factors that lead to foodborne illness. And, learn how to manage those risk factors Foodborne illness could impact a quantity food event.

Objectives Learn the rules for good personal hygiene. Use sanitary practices for food preparation areas. Select and use safe food preparation practices and equipment. After completion of this lesson, OQ Cooks will be able to: Practice rules for good personal hygiene Use sanitary practices for food preparation areas Select and use safe food preparation practices & equipment Know how to keep food safe during purchasing and transport Safely store leftover foods.

Foodborne illness – what’s the big deal? Estimated 48 million cases annually in the U.S. 3,000 deaths 128,000 hospitalizations Why do we put all this effort in training and food handling practices – is it really needed? Yes! Each year in the US there are tens of millions of people who contract a foodborne disease, and for some consumers, the health outcomes are severe and include 128,000 hospitalizations, 3,000 deaths, and series long-term disease outcomes. The costs of foodborne illness are high. The USDA Economic Research Service estimates $5.6 to $9.4 billion annually in medical costs and loss in productivity. So, we know it happens a lot, but aren’t the ways we keep food safe obvious and easy to do? Things like handwashing, cooking, and refrigeration? Scallen, 2011

In practice, implementing food safety is hard Yes, most of the practices we use to prepare food safely are quite simple. But in practice, it can be difficult to make sure we “follow the rules.” How many people skip handwashing before beginning food handling, or even after using the bathroom? Do you believe that food safety is important enough to communicate with the people working with you that these seemingly simple practices matter? Imagine for a second… One of the most reliable workers on your committee thinks she has a stomachache and was vomiting last night. She wants to help in the worst way and you are short handed. What do you do? In the moment it can be very tempting to bend the rules, when an important employee is sick, when the food isn’t done cooking but you are running late, when you forgot to put food in the refrigerator in time, the list goes on. In this first module we will discuss the reasons behind why we do these practices so that you can see that, even when it’s the hard choice to make, it’s the right choice to make.

Why all the concern about foodborne illness? Can lead to secondary long-term illnesses Sometimes we just think of foodborne illness as vomiting and diarrhea, which are the most common symptoms, but for some, serious long term disease outcomes can result. And I know there are some people who think that they are not sensitive to foodborne illness because their immune system is so strong, but regardless of your own risk tolerance, remember that when you are preparing food for others you need to make sure you are preparing it safely. 2-3% of the cases lead to secondary long-term illnesses. E. Coli – can lead to kidney failure in infants and children. Salmonella can lead to reactive arthritis Listeria can lead to meningitis and stillbirths – has a very high mortality rate Botulism, from Clostridium botulinum, causes paralysis and has a high fatality rate. Usually we think of botulism associated with canning, but mishandling (temperature abusing) foil wrapped baked potatoes can also lead to growth of this pathogen.

1 in 6 people will get a foodborne illness each year But, most people will have milder cases, though still terrible. The most common cause of foodborne disease is norovirus because it is spread so easily from person-to-person. Have any of you had norovirus? Even though you might recover in a few days, the symptoms are still awful and this is not something you want to spread to people who are attending your event. It’s estimated that 1 in 6 people in the US will get a foodborne disease this year. Look around the room – this many of us will get a foodborne illness each year. _______________

Common Factors Sick food handlers Cross-contamination Not cooking food sufficiently Not cooling food sufficiently Here are common factors associated with outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. These are factors that are within your control, and good food safety practices will be discussed in the subsequent chapters. The goal of food safety is to 1) prevent food from being contaminated with foodborne pathogens in the first place and 2) keep potential pathogens from growing by refrigeration, or killing them through cooking. Collectively, these make the concepts of “cook, chill, separate, and clean” from the USDA as guidance for consumer food handling. Another element to consider is selection of ingredients and foods. For example, if you are picking a snack for 4-Hers on a farm tour where you will not have access to refrigeration for hours, is it better to pick lunch meat or pretzels?

Facts about Foodborne Illness Cannot detect when food is “bad” Foods that cause foodborne illness generally do not taste, look, or smell bad. If they did, no one would eat them and no one would get foodborne illness.

Facts about Foodborne Illness Cannot just re-heat food that is left out for too long Some pathogenic bacteria produce toxins (poisons) that are heat stable – no matter how long you cook it, you will not be able to get rid of the toxin.

Foodborne Illness High risk populations Some populations are particularly susceptible to foodborne illness. If your event is serving any of these populations (like a potluck at a nursing home), it is even more imperative to manage food safety. These consumers may get sick more easily, and may have more severe disease outcomes than the general population.  High-risk populations for developing foodborne illness include: Infants Young children under the age of 5 Pregnant women Elderly People whose immune system is compromised. - Such as people with diabetes, cancer, organ transplants, etc. Many people from these groups are likely to attend your food functions.

Facts about Foodborne Illness Food waste and spoilage are not the same as food safety, but they are also negative outcomes 5 to 25% of edible food is thrown away because spoilage has occurred. By handling food safely, you reduce the probability of having to throw out a lot of food because you later find out it is unsafe.

What are the causes? Bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins. At least 30 pathogens commonly associated with foodborne illness. Allergens* Most microbes in the environment do not make people sick. But some are pathogens and those cause foodborne illness. These include pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These pathogens can be found in the environment (Listeria, Clostridium botulinum), from animals or their food products (Salmonella, Listeria), and from people (norovirus, Staphylococcus). *Although we will talk about it briefly later, it’s worth noting that an allergen response is also a cause of illness associated with food that requires consideration from food handlers.

Common Pathogens Norovirus There are a number of food pathogens that may cause foodborne illness. We will review the main ones. Who has heard of norovirus? Commonly associated with cruise ships, and outbreaks in institutions like day cares, nursing homes, college dorms, etc. 9 million cases per year Norovirus is one of the most common viruses. It is found in the intestinal tract of humans and feces-contaminated water. Food that has been involved in outbreaks includes water, shellfish (especially raw or undercooked clams and oysters), raw vegetables, fresh fruit, and salads. Over nine million cases occur annually. Keys to prevention include practicing good personal hygiene, using water from approved sources, thoroughly cooking food, and purchasing shellfish from approved sources. This pathogen is one of the main reasons you don’t want food handlers who are reporting symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Common Pathogens Staphylococcus Clostridium perfringens Bacillus cereus Clostridium botulinum These four pathogens are toxin producers. In this case, the bacteria secrete a toxin that makes people sick. Toxin producers often become a problem when foods are prepared in large quantities and are then kept warm for a long time before serving. That’s why outbreaks of these infections are usually linked to events with catered food. Staph is commonly associated with human skin, so foods that are prepared by hand are at an increased risk for cross-contamination. However, since it is the toxin and not the bacterium that makes people sick, temperature control is the primary way we prevent illness. C. perfringens is often associated with meat products like gravy or burgers, and B. cereus is associated with starch foods like rice and pasta. Keys to prevention include keeping foods at appropriate temperatures, storing carefully, and using time and temperature control in cooling and reheating cooked food. Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin that causes botulism. Low-acid home-canned foods such as beans and corn that have been improperly processed are the most common foods to contain this botulism toxin. Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a bacterium which occurs in soil. It produces a toxin that affects your nerves. Foodborne botulism comes from eating foods contaminated with the toxin. Keys to prevention include proper processing of home-canned foods and checking commercially canned goods for damage. Look for swollen ends, leaks or flawed seals, rust, or dents. These may indicate signs of contamination. Other foods that have caused botulism include sautéed onions, baked potatoes, and meat pies left at room temperature for too long. A major key to prevention is to hold foods at the proper temperatures, and for canned foods, following a scientifically validated process.

Common Pathogens Salmonella and Campylobacter E. coli 0157:H7 Listeria These are pathogens that make people sick through infection. Keys to control them include cooking food to kill them, and sanitation and hygiene to prevent their spread through contaminated surfaces. If you are cutting raw chicken on a cutting board, what should you do if you have bread to slice afterward? What if someone asks you for a medium burger? Here are foods commonly associated with these pathogens - Salmonella and Campylobacter are bacteria found in meat, poultry, raw milk, produce, eggs, and food with eggs. It is spread by contaminated utensils or work surfaces that aren’t cleaned and sanitized before or after using. And under cooking or consuming these foods raw E. coli is commonly associated with raw ground beef. It may also be found in unpasteurized milk and apple cider and juice products, as well as fresh produce and non-chlorinated water.   Listeria typically affects the very young and the elderly and pregnant women the most severely, but it can have serious disease outcomes for many people. It is found in soil, water, and damp environments. It is sometimes found in unpasteurized milk, soft cheese, and ready-to-eat chilled foods, such as deli foods and luncheon meats.  Keys to prevention include using only pasteurized milk and dairy products, cooking foods to their proper internal temperature, avoiding cross-contamination, and keeping surfaces clean and sanitized. Refrigeration won’t kill these pathogens, but it can keep them from growing and making a bad situation worse. With fresh-cut produce, refrigeration is one way to help minimize risk.

So what can we do? Time and Temperature – refrigerate and cook Cross-contamination – clean and separate Personal Hygiene – wash hands, exclude sick people from preparing food No one wants to make someone sick, so what can we do to make sure none of these pathogens makes anyone sick at our events? Here is the short list of things we can do. Sounds easy, right? It is easy, and in the following modules we’ll talk about the details of each of these activities and the challenges that arise for preparing food for a group.