Chapter 19 Food Safety

True/False Freezing foods kills bacteria As long as the expiration date hasn’t passed, packaged food is always safe to eat You can wash pesticides off produce with plain water

Answers False. Freezing foods doesn’t kill bacteria, but puts them at a dormant state. Once the food is thawed, bacteria growth resume False. Package date refers to food quality not safety True. A good scrub with cold running water and a vegetable brush can remove pesticide residue and many germs from the produce

Food Safety What Is Food Safety and Why Is It Important? Food safety practices and guidelines established to ensure the safety of foods from farm to table U.S. enjoys one of safest food supplies in world Millions still suffer annually from some type of foodborne illness About 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,200 deaths Upton Sinclair’s 1906 book The Jungle led to Meat Inspection Act Food safety precautions led to positive health effects in the U.S.

Food Safety What Causes Foodborne Illness and How Can It Make You Sick? Foodborne illnesses are often caused by pathogens. Can be spread by fecal-to-oral transmission Viruses: require living host to survive Norovirus, Hepatitis A Bacteria flourish on living and nonliving surfaces. Some bacteria are beneficial: make vitamin K and biotin in intestines, used to make yogurt and cheese Others can cause food spoilage and illness.

Food Safety High Risk population Parasites: microscopic organisms that take nourishment from hosts Chemical agents and toxins also cause illness. Naturally-occurring toxins include poisonous mushrooms and some fish. Pesticides added to foods also cause foodborne illness. High Risk population Older adults, young children, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems are more susceptible to ill effects.

What Can You Do to Prevent Foodborne Illness? Practice “4 Cs” of food safety: Clean your hands and produce. Hands: hot soapy water with agitation for at least twenty seconds Sanitize cutting boards, sponges Wash fruits and vegetables under cold running water, scrub firm skins with vegetable brush

What Can You Do to Prevent Foodborne Illness? Combat cross-contamination. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish separate from other foods during preparation, storage, and transport Cook foods thoroughly. Color not reliable indicator: measure internal temperature

What Can You Do to Prevent Foodborne Illness? Chill foods at a low enough temperature. Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40o – 140o F Keep hot foods hot: above 140o F Keep cold foods below 40o F: perishables shouldn’t be left more than two hours Keep leftovers no more than four days in refrigerator, raw meats two days Freezer temperature: at or below 0o F

E-Coli Video

Foodborne Illness Food Safety in the Kitchen Safe Handling of Meats and Poultry Cook meat thoroughly and use a thermometer. Read labeling instructions. Recommended safe temperatures Whole poultry: 180˚ F Poultry breast and well-done meats: 170˚ F Stuffing, ground poultry, and reheated leftovers: 165˚ F Medium-done meats, raw eggs, egg dishes, pork, and ground meat: 160 ˚F Medium-rare meats, roasts, veal, and lamb: 145˚ F Foods should not be kept between 40˚ F and 140˚ F for more than 2 hours Refrigerator temperature: 40˚ F Freezer temperature: 0˚ F

The Do’s and Don’ts of Cross-Contamination

The Danger Zone

Foodborne Illness Occasionally unsafe Rarely unsafe Soft cheeses Salad bar items Unwashed berries and grapes Sandwiches Hamburgers Rarely unsafe Peeled fruit High-sugar foods Steaming-hot foods

Who Protects Your Food and How Do They Do It? Agency: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Responsible for: Safe and accurately labeled meat, poultry, eggs Safety of all other foods Protecting you and environment from harmful pesticides Protecting against plant and animal pests and disease 17

Product Dating Closed Food Product Dating Open Food Product Dating 18

What Are Food Additives and How Are They Used? Salt was of earliest food additives: preserved meat, fish Used to preserve freshness, maintain consistency, enhance nutritional content, prevent food spoilage Regulated by FDA: Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and 1958, Food Additives Amendment authorized FDA to regulate food and food ingredients and additives Exemptions: prior-sanctioned status (such as nitrates to preserve meats) and GRAS (generally recognized as safe) substances, such as salt, sugar, spices, vitamins, etc. 19

What Are Food Additives and How Are They Used? MSG is a common flavor enhancer: GRAS status Foods containing MSG must show ingredient on label because some people are sensitive MSG symptom complex (numbness, burning sensation, facial pressure, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, drowsiness) Sulfites used as preservatives to prevent browning of foods and growth of microbes (dried fruits, vegetables, wine, beer, etc.) Some people sensitive, from mild to serious Must be shown on food label 20

Food Additives Nutrient Additives Common Nutrient Additives Thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, and iron in grain products Iodine in salt Vitamins A and D in milk Vitamin C and calcium in fruit drinks Vitamin B12 in vegetarian foods

What Are Toxins and Chemical Agents? Toxins occur naturally to help plant or animal fend off predators or capture food Marine toxins: cooking won’t destroy toxins Spoiled finfish can cause scombrotoxic (histamine) fish poisoning. Large reef fish can bioaccumulate ciguatoxins produced by dinoflagellates. Shell fish can be contaminated by neurotoxins produced by dinoflagellates, causing paralytic shellfish poisoning. 22

What Are Toxins and Chemical Agents? Toxins in other foods: Potatoes exposed to light, turned green contain solanine Wild lima beans, cassava contain cyanogenic glycosides that can cause cyanide poisoning Chemicals sometimes due to pollution 23

Bioaccumulation of Toxins 24

Chemical Agents Pesticides widely used in agriculture Types of pests include insects, weeds, microorganisms, fungi (mold), and rodents Organophosphates affect nervous systems of pests, are being re-reviewed by EPA to ensure safety Biopesticides (naturally-derived) typically less toxic than synthetic chemical pesticides Examples: insect sex pheromones interfere with mating of pests; baking soda can inhibit growth of fungi Pesticides help promote abundant crop production. 25

Chemical Agents The risks of pesticides: Synthetic pesticides can cause harm to animals, humans, environment depending on level of toxicity and how much consumed Pesticide use is heavily regulated in the U.S. Regulating pesticides: who’s watching the crops? EPA evaluates all food pesticides using human health risk assessment: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, risk characterization 26

Chemical Agents Minimize pesticides in your diet. Washing fruits and vegetables with clean, running water and vegetable brush removes up to 81% of pesticide residue 27

Reducing Pesticides In Your Foods 28

What Is Organic and How Do You Find Organic Foods? Organic farming: growing crops without the use of some synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, bioengineering or irradiation Organic meat, poultry, eggs, dairy foods are free of antibiotics and growth hormone USDA: National Organic Standards USDA organic certification: must contain at least 95% organic ingredients May not be free of all pesticides USDA hasn’t found organic foods to be safer or nutritionally superior to conventional foods. 29

The USDA Organic Seal 30

Various Levels of Organic Table 14.6 31