For Safety's Sake • Food Safety Newsletter • August 2007
Information and Tips for Keeping it Fresh!
Volume 1 • Issue 6
Welcome to For Safety's Sake - an informational newsletter dedicated to food safety. We hope you enjoy this issue and share it with others who are concerned about food safety. Sign up to receive this newsletter by email >
Focus on Food Safety
Food Survey Reveals: Consumers Still Concerned About Food-Borne Illness
Nine out of 10 Americans are as concerned or more concerned than they were just a year ago about contracting a food-borne illness, according to a recent study conducted by TNS/NFO. I am sure that comes as no surprise to any of you in the food service industry considering nearly every day there is a new issue concerning food safety making headlines.
Most interesting to me in the study was information on one of the leading causes of these illnesses - Salmonella. Of course, since Salmonella bacteria found in eggs is one of the main culprits contributing to food-borne illness, I found much of the information relating to Salmonella and eggs intriguing and eye opening. According to the survey, 70 percent of Americans know the best way to avoid getting Salmonella bacteria from eggs is by cooking them thoroughly. However, this doesn't seem to be happening as often as necessary, as more than half of those surveyed said that they prefer their eggs undercooked, served over easy, sunny side up, soft boiled or as Eggs Benedict. The good news is that with pasteurization we know there are safe options available.
Unlike the average American consumer, today's food industry professional is more often using best practices as a priority in the fight against food-borne illness. However, it is obvious there is always room for more education and awareness on the many leading causes of food-borne illness. One of our objectives at National Pasteurized Eggs, (NPE) is to spread the word about the best practices and the use of easy solutions which can prevent illness or business disruption. Making certain food operators know their options when it comes to keeping consumers safe is our priority. For our part, NPE has and will continue to conduct numerous food safety educational seminars for chef associations, restaurant groups, healthcare associations and chain restaurants, as well as dozens of state and county health departments throughout the U.S. We have made it part of our mission to support the educational process on food safety.
Above I have referenced just a few of the statistics uncovered by this telling survey. If you would like more information on the survey results, it will be posted on the safeeggs website in September, which coincidentally, is National Food Safety Month. Check back at www.safeeggs.com.
We hope you continue to value our on-going communication with you and we encourage you to contact us with any questions or ideas you have on how to continue promoting food safety.
Greg West
President of National Pasteurized Eggs
Food Safety in the News
Produce Becoming Food-Borne Illness Villain
At a recent convention in Chicago, it was noted that between 1972 and 1997, there were 190 outbreaks of food-borne illness associated with fresh U.S. produce. During the five years that followed, the number jumped to 249 and included lettuce, melons and tomatoes.
It seems that problems occur when fresh produce is cut, exposing more surface area to harmful bacteria. Also, leaking nutrients can interfere with or neutralize disinfectants such as chlorinated water, and finally, if produce isn't properly refrigerated, bacteria are more likely to grow.
Source: UPI: posted August 1, 2007
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/08/01/produce_becoming_foodborne_illness_villain/8001/
Ginger Laced With Pesticides Recalled: China's Latest Potentially Deadly Export
Fresh ginger laced with pesticides is the latest Chinese import to face a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall. The tainted ginger was recently discovered by California inspectors and the state issued a warning against eating the product imported from China. The FDA ordered the recall after it was discovered that the ginger had been shipped to stores in California, Michigan, Oregon, Louisiana and Washington.
California health officials found harmful levels of the pesticide aldicarb sulfoxide in fresh ginger imported from China. When ingested in small amounts, aldicarb sulfoxide causes nausea, headache and blurred vision for about six hours. If ingested in large amounts, the pesticide can also cause diarrhea, sweating, muscle stiffness, breathing difficulties and even death. According to a recent New York Times report, Chinese imports have accounted for more than 60 percent of all product recalls this year including, toothpaste, toys and pet food.
Source: Newsinferno.com: posted July 31, 2007
http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/1659
Botulism From Canned Food Is A Rarity
Botulism poisoning from commercially canned foods has been almost eliminated in the United States, making the new cases linked to hot dog chili sauce all the more striking and shocking.
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration, Agriculture Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were investigating a Castleberry's Food Co. plant in Augusta, Ga., where the suspect product was canned. The contamination may all be due to an equipment malfunction, the Agriculture Department said.
Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium, Clostridium botulism. Such bacteria are commonly found in soil. Four people were hospitalized, but they are expected to survive.
Source: Associated Press: posted: July 19, 2007
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/botulism-from-canned-food-is-a-rarity/n20070719183709990009?cid=474
Food Safety Q & A
If you have a question you would like us to address in a future e-newsletter, please contact us at 4safetyssake@gmail.com.
Q: What can consumers do when they eat in restaurants to remain safe from food-borne illnesses?
A: You can protect yourself first by choosing which restaurant to patronize. Restaurants are inspected by the local health department to make sure they are clean and have adequate kitchen facilities. Find out how restaurants did on their most recent inspections, and use that score to help guide your choice. In many jurisdictions, the latest inspection score is posted in the restaurant. Some restaurants have specifically trained their staff in principles of food safety. This is also good to know in deciding which restaurant to patronize.
You can also protect yourself from food-borne disease when ordering specific foods, just as you would at home. When ordering a hamburger, ask for it to be cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees and send it back if it is still pink in the middle. Before you order something that is made with many eggs pooled together, such as scrambled eggs, omelets or French toast, ask the waiter whether it was made with pasteurized eggs, and choose something else if it was not.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm#restaurants
Safe Serving Spotlight
Who is leading the pack in food safety? In this section, we highlight foodservice entities that hold the highest standards and can teach all of us a thing or two. If you believe your organization deserves to be recognized, please e-mail us 4safetyssake@gmail.com and let us know. We'd love to share your story, too.
Sergeant Steve Bell, Production Manager
Contrails Dining
Beale Air Force Base - Marysville, Calif.
Cleanliness with Military Precision
Serving more than 400 active enlisted and retired military members, as well as their dependents three meals a day is no easy task. Yet, those are Sergeant Steve Bell's marching orders and he follows them with military precision. As the production manager at Contrails Dining on Beale Air Force Base in Marysville, Calif., Sergeant Bell is responsible for the daily dining hall operations. He has been in this position for four years and seems to do it all.
Not only is Sergeant Bell head chef in charge of training new staff, developing menus and kitchen safety procedures, he is also charged with ensuring proper food handling, correct cooking and holding temperatures and overall kitchen cleanliness.
"My number one concern is to ensure that all health standards are met or exceeded," said Sergeant Bell. "We cannot afford to have our military forces get sick from what we feed them. That is why I take my responsibility so seriously."
A large component of health standards is kitchen cleanliness. Sergeant Bell has extra help in that department from Pride Industries, a company that provides outsourcing solutions for government agencies. "They are here with us all day long, ensuring cleanliness," said Sergeant Bell. "After our staff cleans an area or work station, they come up right behind them and do it again. We don't want to take any chances with those who are serving our country."
To guarantee these efforts are not in vain, Sergeant Bell performs a kitchen walk through daily, he checks for cleanliness, sanitation, proper food temperatures and handling procedures. In addition, three self inspections are performed every week by Sergeant Bell or one of his shift leaders. These inspections focus on checking all kitchen equipment and guaranteeing that it is properly cleaned and in good working order.
Environmental health and safety specialists from the local public health department also perform random kitchen inspections. They are located on the base to inspect military facilities and food supplies for the presence of disease, germs, or other conditions hazardous to health and the environment. Public health officials typically come through Contrails about twice a month.
When the men and women who defend our country depend on you for breakfast, lunch and dinner you can never be too careful and cleanliness is the key. Sergeant Bell, we salute you and your operation.
From the Food Safety Expert
Are you an expert in food safety? If you are, we'd like for you to be part of our expert team. Email 4safetyssake@gmail.com and let us know about you.
A Look at Hospital Food Safety
On an annual basis, it is estimated that there are 76 million cases of food-borne illness in the United States. All foods can become contaminated with microorganisms through contact with unclean surfaces, unwashed hands, improper food preparation or improper storage. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), each year 5,000 people die from food-borne illnesses and there are 325,000 food-related hospitalizations.
Food hygiene in hospitals pose peculiar challenges, especially given the presence of patients who could be more vulnerable than healthy subjects to micro-organisms. Moreover, in hospital-acquired outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease, the mortality risk has been proved to be significantly higher than the community outbreaks and highest for food-borne outbreaks. That is why it is critical to follow the HACCP guidelines when preparing and serving food in a hospital. The HACCP, a prevention-based food safety system, recommends washing hands with soap for 15 seconds and rinsing thoroughly with warm water to effectively kill bacteria. In order to prevent cross contamination, the same cutting board, platters, knives or other utensils used for raw foods should not be used for cooked foods.
Meats and poultry are very susceptible to contamination by bacteria such as E. coli., while chicken and turkey can be contaminated with salmonella or campylobacter. These bacteria produce deadly toxins which can be very harmful. A meat thermometer should be used to verify the temperature once the meat is cooked. It is particularly important to serve poultry hot and refrigerate any leftovers immediately, since salmonella thrives in warm temperatures. Salmonella poisoning can occur from eating eggs that are not cooked thoroughly. Eggs should be refrigerated and thrown out if they are cracked or dirty. However, raw eggs can be consumed safely if they are pasteurized.
In the hospital setting, microorganisms can be transmitted via several routes, food being one of them. However, eating smart and cooking right can prevent food-borne illness most of the times.
About Vendana Puri
Vandana Puri is a Registered Dietitian, licensed to practice in Illinois. She currently works as a clinical nutrition manager at Advocate Bethany Hospital, a 150-bed acute care hospital on Chicago's West Side. Puri has years of experience providing medical nutrition therapy to in-patients and nutrition counseling to out-patients in clinical and food service settings. She holds a degree in nutrition from Immaculata College in Pennsylvania, where she graduated cum laude.
Did You Know?
The cause of food-borne illness is sometimes difficult to detect, but some of the most common errors begin in the kitchen. They include:
- Leaving food out of the refrigerator at room temperature.
- Not reheating food to a sufficiently high temperature to destroy bacteria.
- Not washing imported produce thoroughly enough.
- Not disinfecting counters, cutting boards and utensils after working with poultry or meat products.
- Using a tray that held raw meat as a serving tray for cooked meat or poultry.
Back to archive For Safety's Sake • Food Safety Newsletter