FOOD SAFETY
Food is a vital part of our existence and sustainability. We consume over 1 ton of food sources in a year time period. Food is intrinsic and culturally tied into many aspects of one's life. It influences are social interactions and can be a deeply-rooted part of tradition for many populations. Understanding the importance of food and food safety is crucial in maintaining the integrity of public health in society.
Food borne illness are a significant part of the mortality rate within the United States. Food-borne illness is defined as: food poisoning and consuming contaminated food or beverages. This is a major preventable public health disease. By better understanding the methods in which foods become contaminated and how the contaminants can impact our health, we can become more aware of ways to avoid becoming sick.
Over 250 food borne illnesses have been identified. Many of these strains are caused by an infection from a bacteria, virus, parasite, or other biological means. These contaminants will be illustrated later on in this blog. First, let's discuss the different ways food and beverage sources can become contaminated.
3 WAYS FOODS CAN BE CONTAMINATED
The three major ways food sources can be contaminated are: chemical, physical, and biological.
- Chemical- sources from toxins, heavy metals, pesticides and potential additives in food and drinks.
- Physical- This medium is often transmitted through touch or physical transfer of bacteria and germs. Direct or indirect contact with contaminated source. Other physical hazards also include dangerous or non-edible physical hazards that can be found in food. Examples of these include glass or metal fragments.
- Biological- hazards include many of the bacteria, virus, and parasite invaders that can be found on foods or in beverages. Salmonella is the highest leading cause of biological contamination of food in the US. Additionally, it is often the culprit of many food borne illnesses and hospitalizations.
5 BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
- Bacteria- single-celled organisms in almost everything and found everywhere on earth. We have living bacteria, good bacteria, inside of our bodies and major organ systems. Additionally, bacteria can be micro organisms or in some cases biological toxins which can be found in plants.
- Virus- do not need energy to exist and are not made of cells. Many are able to survive extreme heat and extreme cold environments. The only way they can reproduce is to make a copy of themselves within a living host. The FDA has identified two highly contagious viruses: Hepatitis A and Norovirus.
- Protozoa- single celled organisms that include amoebae, ciliates, and flagella.
- Fungi/Yeast- Molds, yeasts and mushrooms belong to a kingdom of life called Fungi and can be found in air, land, water, animals, plants and in some popular foods. Some are made of one cell and some are made of many cells. Some molds produce a toxin called aflatoxins. They can cause foodborne illness.
- Parasites- are not able to live or reproduce outside of a living host. Their hosts of choice are often pigs, wild game, plants, and seafood and then transmitted to humans.
TOP 5 CAUSES OF FOOD CONTAMINATION
- Food from unsafe sources
- poor employee hygiene
- unsanitary/contaminated utensils or equipment
- improper/unsafe cooking temperatures of food
- improper hot/cold holding temperatures of food
FAT-TOM
- Food- food sources provide a suitable conducive environment for bacteria to live. Some examples include: eggs, poultry, meat, fish, dairy products, and shellfish.
- Acidity- best environment is a lightly acidic or neutral state for bacteria.
- Temperature- 41F-135F is considered the danger zone as this temp range is where bacteria thrive and grow the most.
- Time- if given the most favorable conditions: bacteria can grow to over 10 billion in 10 hours.
- Oxygen- 3 types of bacteria exist in relation to oxygen: some need O2 (aerobic) some do not (anaerobic) and others can live and grow with/without it (facultative).
- Moisture- favors growth.
COMMONLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES FROM PEOPLE TO FOOD
Diarrheal diseases are very common among transmitted diseases spread from people to foods. Salmonella and entero infections are also extremely common and cause severe GI upset and lengthy symptoms. Listeria is a less common infection in the general population, but within infants and elderly it is lethal and fairly common.
