Food Safety …From Farm to Table By: Allison Weis www.foodsafety.gov

Foodborne pathogens, contaminants, and resulting illnesses Governing Agencies Food Safety Regulation Example of Government Initiative

Pathogens & Contaminants which cause foodborne illness Natural toxins Bacteria Parasites Viruses & prions Chemical and physical contaminants

Natural toxins Naturally occurring in fungi and reef fish, for example aflatoxin Like other pathogens, these typically cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain (the most basic symptoms of foodborne illness) http://www.healthline.com/blogs/outdoor_health/uploaded_images/amanita_muscaria-770480.jpg

Bacteria Infect intestinal tissues directly or produce toxins Escherichia Coli Salmonella Listeria monocytogenes Vibrio strains -listeria causes listeriosis, a dangerous and often fatal disease -vibro bacteria are found in shellfish and produce toxins which can lead to serious illness, including tingling, numbness, aches, diarrhea http://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/images/imscn080706_01_01.jpg

Parasites Cyclospora Trichinella Cyclospora – a single-celled parasite. People are affected by ingesting food or water contaminated with infected feces Trichinella – round worm, often found in pigs; larvae build cysts in muscle cells http://www.latech.edu/ans/graphics/trichinella.jpg

Viruses & Prions Avian Flu Hepatitis A Norovirus Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) BSE is better known as “mad cow disease”. It is believed that a prion causes this fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle. It is also believed to cause the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease when ingested by a human.

Chemical & Physical Contaminants Pesticides Heavy metals Dioxins PCBs

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -graph from CDC of relative rates of illnesses after a baseline was determined from 1996-1998. Most incidences of these illnesses have decreased over time. NOTE: STEC = shiga-toxin producing E. Coli NOTE: this is all illnesses caused by these bacteria, not necessarily from contaminated food ALSO, a rise in foodborne illness (as seen with E. coli and vibrio) does not necessarily mean that things are getting worse… It can be attributed to Our population is aging and becoming more susceptible. The elderly are at the highest risk for foodborne illness. Changing behaviors People are buying more ready-to-serve and processed foods which mean that 1 incidence of contamination early on in the production process can reach hundreds of homes.

2004 data of relative number of hospitalizations caused by different pathogens Today— E. Coli and vibrio are a larger percentage

Governing Agencies U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) CDC State health agencies CDC – investigates sources of foodborne disease outbreaks -- maintains a nationwide system of foodborne surveillance State level health agencies, such as the NC Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer services are involved in enforcing the laws of FDA and in communication regarding outbreaks

FSIS Mission: to ensure that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged FDA Enforces food safety laws governing all other domestic and imported food Regulates $417 billion domestic and $49 billion imported food each year (only about 80% of total) *sheer volume

General responsibilities of FSIS and FDA Inspect food production establishments and food warehouses Establish standards for practices and production Conduct research Educate --Inspect food production establishments and food warehouses. Collect and analyze samples. --Establish good food manufacturing practices and other production standards (processing, handling, labeling) --Conduct research on food safety --assist regulatory agencies and the industries that the regulate by providing a model food code (with all necessary food safety info), scientifically-based training, program evaluation, and technical assistance

FSIS Regulations Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems have been in place since 1998. Seven principles of HACCP Analyze hazards Identify critical control points Establish preventative measures Establish procedures to monitor critical control points Establish corrective actions Establish procedures to verify that system is working properly Effective recordkeeping Analyze hazards (i.e. a chemical hazard such as a toxin) Identify critical control points (stages in a food’s production where hazard can be controlled or eliminated) Establish preventative measures with critical limits for each control point (i.e. a minimum cooking temperature to kill bacteria) Establish procedures to monitor critical control points (how and by whom temp. is monitored) Establish corrective actions to be taken when a critical limit has not been met (reprocessing or disposing of food not fit for human consumption) Establish procedures to verify that the system is working properly (maintain and test equipment) Establish effective recordkeeping to document the HACCP system.

FSIS, continued Performs ~ 22,000 inspection procedures each day. ~ 1.4% non-compliance over the past year. Approved products are given the USDA mark of inspection Non-compliance Seize products Condemn animals for disease or contamination -thousands of inspection procedures each day to determine whether plans are in compliance with regulations -imports are inspected at the port of entry, though they were inspected by a comparable agency before shipping -Approved products are given the USDA mark of inspection and can be sold Non-compliance -seize products so that they do not enter commerce

FSIS Enforcement If FSIS withholds the mark of inspection, the operation in question is effectively shut down The operation in question is effectively shut down because it is illegal to sell products that do not bear the USDA mark of inspection. Reasons for withholding, withdrawing, or suspending the mark (thereby stopping a plant’s processing) could include: -interference with inspection personnel -unsanitary conditions -failure to implement a required HACCP plan http://www.brookings.edu/gs/cps/ga/images/usda_sm.gif

And in recent news… The FDA’s new Food Protection Plan was signed on November 6, 2007 (last Tuesday!) It presents a practical, modern strategy to protect the nation’s food supply from unintentional contamination and deliberate attack. “modern” references the changes in food sources, production, and consumption in today’s world The plan emphasizes preventative methods for food safety

FDA Food Protection Plan Prevention a. Increased corporate responsibility b. Identification of vulnerabilities and risk Intervention a. Inspections b. New detection technology c. Risk-based surveillance Response a. Improve communication to lower reaction time Prevention: FDA is holding food and ingredient suppliers and manufacturers responsible for investing time and energy into looking at their processes to find and address possible vulnerabilities Intervention at critical points in the food supply chain -inspections to ensure preventative measures are taken -such as rapid contamination detection tools -use technology to identify places of highest risk and focus inspection and sampling there (i.e. places with previous violations, or with particularly risky products) This is more efficient use of resources. Numbers of inspections have decreased, but it is because resources are being targeted based on risk-assessment Minimize harm by responding quickly to an outbreak or hazard -streamline communication to improve immediate response and quickly trace products to their source START video at 4:06 http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food.html

Food Protection Plan gives FDA increased power FDA can now issue a mandatory recall FDA has better access to food records during emergencies -… if a voluntary recall is not effective. Up until now, recalls were always voluntary -

A government initiative for food safety Problem: Numbers of E. coli cases have been on the rise FSIS response 75% increase in number of tests for E. coli in ground beef Accelerated review of suppliers and processors Testing earlier in production chain Plants held accountable Rapid recalls More frequent and comprehensive tests Follow-up testing program Accelerated review including -testing earlier in the production chain to identify hazards -verifying control of hazards or ensuring corrective action -making more rapid recalls -testing more often and testing more components Follow-up testing program for facilities with positive E. coli tests

“We can’t provide zero risk because it doesn’t exist “We can’t provide zero risk because it doesn’t exist. What we want to do is make sensible use of the resources available to minimize that risk to consumers to the extent that we can.” -Paul Mayers, CFIA Inspectors can’t check every food product. What they can do is identify risk and then decide how to apply available resources to minimize adverse outcomes. CFIA = Canadian Food Inspection Agency http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/foodsafety/

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