Food Borne Illness | Food Poisoning | e Coli | Listeria

Food borne Illness Loves Warmth & Wet - Take Extra Care During the Summer Months

Food borne illness is a problem even in the United States with state of the art refrigeration, training and education. Learning about food borne illness is important for the safety of both you and your family and IF you are a restaurant owner or worker, you already know how critical these topics are to the safety of your clients.

Bacteria is the Culprit

Bacteria is the culprit. While not all bacteria is bad, bacteria can quickly grow in certain foods, under certain conditions and present a serious health concern for both children and the elderly along with people with immune deficiencies.

Certain Foods

As the above chart clearly displays certain foods have a higher likelihood of carrying harmful pathogen. "Foods that are high in protein or carbohydrates such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, rice and eggs along with foods with a "neutral" PH which are essentially the fruits and vegetables."

Certain Conditions - Keep Hot Foods Hot and Cold Foods Cold

You have heard this one before: Keep hot foods hot, keep cold foods cold. More specifically, "(k)eep hot foods hot (above 60 ° C / 140 ° F) and cold foods cold (below 4 ° C / 40 ° F)."

Top 10 Dangerous Foods

Of the top 10 dangerous foods, the one that surprised me was ice cream! Who would have thought? As a cook and having had the pleasure of even having a ice cream machine for a wedding present - never heard of this one. Very good information to know.

Bacteria in the Soil - Farming

The critical role that farmers play in the equation of food safety cannot be highlighted enough. The government is now mandating better methods to trace the food so that the contamination can be identified and resolved. This is helpful but food safety needs to be highlighted to everyone.

FAT TOM will help you to remember these valuable terms:

The Iowa State University Extension undertook developing a complete food safety program. It is available on line here:

Free Food Safety Lessons Including Fat Tom

Free Food Safety Lessons

The food safety lessons are broken out into 4 lessons and include clip art and creation of "Fat Tom". The Food Safety Project at Iowa State University Extension goal is to provide consumers with the training and education they need to help minimize their personal and their family's risk from harmful food pathogens. The lessons also provide a clear understanding of how to decrease incidences of foodborne illness by detailing the growth patterns and needs of the harmful pathogens.

One way of learning is a visual with reminders - that is where Fat Tom the food safety turkey can help. FAT TOM will help you to remember these valuable terms:

Food
Acidity
Time

Temperature

Oxygen
Moisture

FAT TOM Facts FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE MICROBIAL GROWTH

"As a group, micro-organisms will grow under many different conditions. There are six main factors that can affect the growth of micro-organisms (FAT TOM).

1.Food

·Micro-organisms grow best in foods that are high in protein or carbohydrates

·Examples – Meat, poultry, seafood, milk, rice and eggs

2.pH (Acid)

·The measure of acidity or alkalinity of a food

·Most disease causing bacteria multiply best at a pH of 5 – 8, which is near the neutral pH of 7.

·Fresh foods such as meat, seafood and milk tend to have a pH of near 7 (neutral)

3.Temperature

·Food poisoning micro-organisms can multiply rapidly at temperatures between 4°C / 40°F and 60°C / 140°F. This is known as the Danger Zone. Hazardous foods should spend as little time as possible in the Danger Zone.

·Keep hot foods hot (above 60°C / 140°F) and cold foods cold (below 4°C / 40°F).

4.Time

·Micro-organisms often need time to grow in the food and they can double in number every 20 minutes under ideal conditions.

5.Oxygen

·Some micro-organisms will only grow when there is oxygen present in the food or environment (aerobic organisms).

·Some micro-organisms will only grow when there is NO oxygen present in the food or environment (anaerobic organisms).

6.Moisture

·Micro-organisms need water to grow and multiply.

·Some micro-organisms can survive when there is little water, but they will not be able to grow very well.

By modifying the environment in and around the food, growth of micro-organisms can be slowed or prevented. For example, changing the amount of acid in a food or adding salt to dry a food can help to prevent micro-organisms from growing.

Some of the principles that can control micro-organisms in food are as follows:

1.Preventing micro-organisms from getting into foods (safe food handling).

2.Preventing the growth of micro-organisms already present in food (time - temperature control).

3.Eliminating harmful micro-organisms by processing the food properly (e.g. proper cooking)." [source:wsw.extension.iastate.edu]

Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported:

"The Dirty Dozen

Celery

Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Domestic blueberries

Nectarines

Sweet bell peppers

Spinach, kale and collard greens

Cherries

Potatoes

Imported grapes

Lettuce

Not all non-organic fruits and vegetables have a high pesticide level. Some produce has a strong outer layer that provides a defense against pesticide contamination. The group found a number of non-organic fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Clean 15" that contained little to no pesticides.

The Clean 15

Onions

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas

Asparagus

Kiwi fruit

Cabbage

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet potatoes

Sweet onions"

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html

NY Department of Health Reports Percent of Pathogens Associated with Foreign Travel

The NY Department of Health reports the travelers who travel beyond our borders the number of pathogens encountered. The graph below is interesting to see the trends of each bacteria.

Wikipedia reports that "Shigellosis, also known as bacillary dysentery in its most severe manifestation, is a food borne illness caused by infection by bacteria of the genus Shigella. Shigellosis rarely occurs in animals other than humans and other primates like monkeys and chimpanzees. The causative organism is frequently found in water polluted with human feces, and is transmitted via the fecal-oral route. The usual mode of transmission is directly person-to-person hand-to-mouth, in the setting of poor hygiene among children.^[1] In some strains ten to fifteen (10-15)% of people affected will die. In the developing world, Shigella causes approximately 165 million cases of severe dysentery and more than 1 million deaths each year, mostly in children. Shigella also causes approximately 580,000 cases annually among travelers and military personnel from industrialized countries.^[2]"

165 Million Cases of Severe Dysentery and 1 Million Deaths Annually

Knowing the details from wikipedia helps us to better interpret the graph below. The spike in 2001was literally halved in the following year and then also in the year after that. Knowledge is power. Tracking the cases, understanding the source and educating our population both here in the United States and abroad helps of humanity.

A Complimentary Solution - Food Sanitizers

Food safety is knowledge and training. Knowing that bacteria exists and learning the components of FAT TOM are essential pieces to preventing food borne illness. As a compliment to sound food safety practices, many chefs are taking an extra level of prevention and care for quality by sanitizing meats and produce. One person mentioned to a friend of mine that she is not able to eat "packaged" lettuce and greens because of the preservatives. Bagged or packaged produce may make it easier for us to consume as we actively seek to eat right and be healthy yet all too often the bagged produce is linked to food borne illness or has preservatives.

Interesting on this note, Lisa on Buzz Science wrote: "My $0.02? I don't want to read any more stories about children or grandparents having kidney failure or even dying from E. coli infection. So I guess I'm all for killing off the bacteria, if we can. But part of me thinks, yes, I want safe food, but I also want CLEAN food. Even if eating poop can be made safe, I still don't want to eat poop!" http://www.sciencebuzz.org/blog/the_downside_of_fresh_produce

Beyond Pre-Packaged Foods

CNN report by Dr. Sanjay Gupta that even our fruits and vegetables which are not pre-packaged are a real safety concern. "Most alarming are the fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Dirty Dozen," which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving. These foods are believed to be most susceptible because they have soft skin that tends to absorb more pesticides."

Kill Bacteria without Chemicals

A food sanitizer that only uses natural Low Level Ozone Technology is my choice for sanitized food. I don't want to digest preservatives.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think about the issue of food safety? How often do you buy pre-packaged produce? What safety measures are reasonable for restaurants and homes? Knowing the food safety issues, understanding the FAT TOM principles and reading the research from Dr. Gupta on the pesticides on fruits and vegetables.

What should governments around the world be doing?

In appreciaton

photo courtesy of:

nextgenerationgood.com

Fat Tom courtesy of:

www.extension.iastate.edu

NY State Department of Health Graph

www.wadsworth.org

Dirty Dozen and 15

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html

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Medical Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only. Neither it nor the products sold here are designed to diagnose, treat, or cure any problem. You should contact your physician for further information, diagnosis, testing, or advice on how to use the information/products listed in this site.

Copyright: © 2010 Gma Goldie All Rights Reserved - GmaGoldie loves to share her ideas but greatly appreciates credit for her hard work. Please email the author for permission for use of terms and ideas shared in this or other GmaGoldie articles on health, fitness and exercise.

FTC Disclosure: The author is a certified personal trainer and the inventor of the EZ Swimmer - the ultimate resistance tool for the swimming pool.

The use of a food sanitizer does not replace the need for pre-existing safe and hygienic food handling and storage practices; rather, the use of this device is intended to augment such pre-existing practices. The use of this device will not render contaminated food safe to eat or unsanitary surfaces to use.