1. Keep a record of all of the food you eat for three days.
Compare your food intake with the recommendations for MyPlate. Identify the groups where your intake was adequate and those where you did not meet the recommendation.
2. What suggestions can you make to yourself to improve
your usual nutrient intake?
3. Go to the grocery store and read nutrition labeling on some
canned products, some cereals, breads, and frozen foods.
What information did you find to help you in making wise food choices?
4. What are four ways to reduce nutrient losses when you are
preparing fruits and vegetables?
5. Why is nutrition an important subject to consider when
studying food preparation?
SeLeCTeD ReFeReNCeS
Anonymous. July 19, 1990. Food labeling; reference daily intakes and daily reference values; mandatory status of nutrition labeling and nutrient content revision; serving sizes; pro- posed rules. Federal Register 55(130): 29476–29533. Berry, D. 2010. Diet food by any other name. Food Product
Design 20(11): 18.
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Committee on Diet and Health. 1989. Diet and Health. Food and Nutrition Board. National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. National Academy Press. Washington, DC.
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2011. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 3rd ed. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC.
Flegal, K. M., et al. 2010. Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 1999–2008. JAMA 303(3): 235–241. Harris, M., et al. 2009. Communicating the net benefits of sea-
food consumption. Food Technol. 63(11): 38.
Hazen, C. 2010. Reducing sodium: Maintaining flavor and functionality. Food Product Design 20(7): 84.
Hazen, C. 2010. Baking sans trans. Food Product Design 20(8): 32. Health and Human Services Department. 2005. A Healthier
You: Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC.
Kelly, F. 2011. Being upfront with front-of-pack labeling. Food Technol. 65(1): 41.
McWilliams, M. 2008. Fundamentals of Meal Management. 5th ed. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
McWilliams, M. 2011. Food Around the World. 3rd ed. Prentice Hall. New York.
Mermelstein, N. H. 2009. Analyzing for mercury in food. Food Technol. 63(9): 76.
Nachay, K. 2008. Combating obesity. Food Technol. 62(2): 24. Newsome, R. 2010. Feeding the future. Food Technol.
64(7): 49.
Nord, M., et al. 2010. Household Food Security in the United States, 2009. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. 2010 Nov. Economic Research Report No. ERR-108.
Pleis, J. R., et al. 2009. Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2008. Vital Health Stat. 10(242): 1–157.
Remig, V., et al. 2010. Trans fats in America: Review of their use, consumption, health implications, and regulation. J. Amer, Dietet. Assoc. 110(4): 585.
Spano, M. 2010. Heart health and fats. Food Product Design 20(3): 22.
Spano, M. 2010. The skinny on fiber and weight management. Food Product Design 20(9): 24.
Spano, M. 2011. Plant-based proteins. Food Product Design 21(2): 20.
Stewart, H., et al. 2006. Let’s Eat Out: Americans Weigh Taste, Convenience, and Nutrition. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Economic Information Bulletin No. 19.
Swientek, B. 2008. Importance of food safety. Food Technol. 62(5): 109.
Troiano, R. P., et al. 2008. Physical activity in the United States measured by accelerometer. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 40(1): 181–188.
Whitney, E. N., and S. R. Rolfes. 2004. Understanding Nutrition. 10th ed. Wadsworth. Belmont, CA.
A fish market on the Arabian Peninsula presents the perfect storm for food-borne illness: a hot day, lack of refrigeration, a worker with dirty clothes and hands, filthy counter and floor, and lack of water for keeping surfaces clean. Courtesy of Plycon Press.
3
Food Safety
Key Concepts Introduction
Potential Microorganisms in Foods Types of Microorganisms
Agricultural Insight—Mad Cow Disease
Food-Borne Illnesses Bacterial Poisoning
Industry Insight—TSP Science Note—pH, Temperature, and Osmosis Viral Poisoning
Cultural Accent—Soy Sauce Parasites
Contaminants in Fish Sources and Control of Microorganisms
Why the Concern?
Addressing the Problem Industry Insight—HACCP Food Handler Hygiene Kitchen Sanitation Cooking Temperatures
Storage Conditions and Practices Control of Food Waste
Short Term Long Term Additives
What Are Additives? Why Are Additives Used? How Are Additives Categorized? Incidental Contaminants Natural Toxicants Summary Study Questions Selected References Key Concepts
1. Food safety requires careful temperature control of foods from farm to table. 2. Enforcement of high
standards of sanitation for all food handlers is needed in all environments where food is being stored, prepared, and served. 3. Food-borne illnesses, ranging from causing physical discomfort to death, can be caused by various bacteria, viruses, molds, parasites, and chemicals that may be found in some foods that have not been refrigerated properly and handled safely. 4. The FDA regulates additives
that may be incorporated in food products for a variety of reasons, for example, to improve nutritional value, enhance such sensory characteristics as flavor, and for other reasons specified by law.
5. Several federal agencies share responsibility for the safety of the nation’s food supply.
INTRODUCTION
Food is not only vital to human survival but also is used by certain micro organisms (e.g., Escherichia coli, Clostridium botulinum) and parasites for their sustenance and reproduction. When those that are dangerous to people find their way into foods, the potential for food-borne illnesses begins. Harmful and infective agents may be introduced during any of the following steps:
• Growing • Harvesting
• Marketing (including transportation and storage)
• Storing and preparing (in the home or in commercial operations)
Food usually reaches consumers via restaurants, fast-food outlets, and supermarkets and other retail outlets after it has traveled an extended route from farm to dining table, and much can happen somewhere along the way. In 2010, over 500 million eggs were recalled after more than 1,500 people became ill when they ate undercooked eggs infected with Salmonella (ultimately traced to two egg producers in Iowa). Another outbreak that year (affecting about 89 people in a total of 15 states and the District of Columbia) was traced to raw alfalfa sprouts contaminated with Salmonella.
These are but two of numerous cases of food-borne illnesses. In fact, 48 million cases are estimated to occur in the United States annually, but the causes of only about a fifth of these are determined. In 2010, norovirus apparently caused 5.5 million cases; various types of bacteria were responsible for 3.9 million cases, among which were non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. (more than a million illnesses and 378 deaths), Clostridium perfringens and
Chapter Contents http://www.safe-poultry.com/ preventionandcontrol.asp —Recommendations for controlling Salmonella in poultry. http://www.cdc.gov/eid/ content/17/1/7-T2.htm —CDC 2010 data on cases of food-borne illness.
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section one | foundation for food studyCampylobacter spp., Listeria (1,591 illnesses, with 255 deaths), and forms of E. coli (more than 175,000 illnesses and 20 deaths). Hospital admissions included patients with non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. (35 percent), norovirus (26 percent), Campylobacter spp. (15 percent), and Toxoplasma gondii (8 percent). Of these cases, those resulting in death (in descending order) were non-typhoidal Salmonella spp., T. gondii, Listeria monocytogenes, and norovirus.
Serious outbreaks are not just a recent occurrence. The 1993 outbreak of illness caused by viable E. coli O157:H7 in hamburgers sold at several outlets of a fast-food chain focused national attention on the potentially fatal outcome if microorganisms are allowed to flourish in a food that is consumed without adequate heat treatment to kill the pathogens. Since then numerous outbreaks have been traced to environmental contamination of field crops, processing plants, and food service on cruise ships and in commercial facilities.
In 2006, spinach contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 sickened more than 200 people and caused three deaths. The origin of this outbreak was traced to the spinach fields where the offending bacteria were found in fecal material from feral pigs or other wildlife in the area (Figure 3.1). In another outbreak of food-borne illness, unpasteurized fruit juices containing E. coli O157:H7 resulted in at least 49 identified infections and one death. This happened despite the fact that similar problems were identified in unpasteurized fruit juices several years earlier. A major recall in July 2007 resulted when cases of botulism were traced to canned meat products that had not been heated adequately to kill spores of C. botulinum. Other promi- nent cases include a hepatitis A outbreak caused when strawberries harvested in fields lacking adequate toilet facilities for workers were frozen and ultimately served in school lunch programs in Michigan and a few other states. Increasingly, such problems are being detected in our food supply because of the large amounts of fresh produce being imported from around the world. Food safety is becoming an international problem. Shellfish from waters contaminated with human waste have also been the source of such food-borne infections as hepatitis A. In major outbreaks, newspapers, radio, television, and Internet news stories are important in alerting people when recalls are made.
The frequency of food recalls has resulted in the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This legislation, which is designed to give the FDA greater enforcement powers, has three major thrusts: • Increased frequency of inspections • Required certification by an accredited third-party auditor for imported foods and facilities • Establishing a product-tracing system that allows the agency to effectively track and trace foods, particularly those on the list of high-risk foods. Figure 3.1
Geneticist Michael Cooley collects a sediment sample to test for E. coli O157:H7. The pathogen was found near fields implicated in the 2006 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 on baby spinach. Courtesy of Agricultural Research Service. http://www.ift.org/ food-technology/ newsletters/ift-weekly- newsletter/2011/ january/011011.aspx
—Summary of Food Safety Modernization Act.
http://www.fda.gov/ NewsEvents/Newsroom/ PressAnnouncements/ 2007/ucm108873.htm
—FDA summary of the 2006 outbreak from contaminated raw spinach.
food safety | chapter three