Food Safety

Overview

How times have changed

Why some people face risks

Recognizing foodborne illnesses (food poisoning)

Food safety at home

Special foods and advice

Eating out or take out

What is a food borne illness?

How food becomes unsafe Time-temperature abuse

Food is not stored at the proper temperature

Food is not cooked or reheated enough to kill pathogens

Cross-contamination

Contaminated ingredients are added to food that is already cooked

Food handler touches contaminated food and then touches ready-to-eat food

Poor personal hygiene

Fail to wash hands correctly after using the restroom

Cough or sneeze on food; working while sick

Poor cleaning and sanitizing

Equipment and utensils not washed, rinsed and sanitized

Food-contact surfaces wiped clean rather than being washed

Foods most likely to become unsafe

Milk dairy products

Meat; beef, pork, lamb

Poultry

Shell eggs

Fish, shellfish, crustaceans

Baked potatoes

Rice, beans, vegetables

Tofu/soy products

Sprouts

Slices fruits and vegetables

Why?

Pathogens grow well on these foods

Time and temperature control are needed to limit pathogen growth

TCS foods; require time and temperature control for safety

Prevention and Food Safety

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

Preventing growth of dangerous microorganisms in food helps to reduce thousands of illnesses and deaths each year

How Have Times Changed?

Then:

Food used to be produced close to where people live

More people prepared and ate their food at home

The way food is purchased and distributed has changed

Now:

Food in grocery stores come from all over the world

Nearly 50% of money spent on food goes towards “eating out” or “take out”

New and dangerous bacteria and viruses have been discovered over the years

Populations that are more at risk

Some people are more likely to face risks: Pregnant women

Preschool-age children

People with chronic illnesses and weak immune systems

People with cancer or on chemotherapy

People with HIV/AIDS

Elderly people

Older adults (usually age 65+)

These populations have a higher risk of getting a foodborne illness

Why Some People Face Risks

Everyone’s health is different

Those previously listed affect their ability to fight off disease

Our immune systems weaken with age

Some diseases also weaken our immune systems

Stomach acid decreases with age – stomach acid plays an important role in reducing bacteria in our intestinal tracts, therefore, reducing our risk for illness

Diabetes, cancer treatments, and kidney disease can increase risks for foodborne illness

Recognizing Foodborne Illness

It’s often difficult to recognize foodborne illness

We’re not able to see, smell, or taste the bacteria

Sometimes people think their illness was caused by their last meal

There is a wide range of time between eating food with harmful bacteria and the onset of illness

Harmful bacteria usually takes 1-3 days to cause illness, but you could become sick anytime from 20 min to 6 weeks after eating!

Signs of Foodborne Illness

It’s important to know that foodborne illness is often confused with other types of illness

Some signs may be: Nausea

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Stomach cramps

Flu-like symptoms – fever, headache, body aches

By following basic rules of food safety, you can

prevent foodborne illness for yourself

and others!

Food Safety at Home

Basic Rules:

1. Clean

2. Separate

3. Cook

4. Chill

Fight BAC! Fight BAC! Is a national education campaign designed to teach

everyone about food safety

Basic Step #1: Clean

Wash hands and surfaces often Bacteria can be found throughout the kitchen – cutting

boards, utensils, sponges, counter tops

Wash hands with warm water and soap before and after handling food, using the bathroom, handling pets, changing diapers, etc.

Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot water and soap after preparing each food

Diluting bleach with water can be used as an effective sanitizer

Basic Step #1: Clean, continued

Replace worn down cutting boards on a regular basis Especially boards that are plastic , non-porous, or have

hard-to-clean grooves

Consider using paper towels to clean kitchen surfaces If you use cloth towels, be sure to wash them often in

the hot cycle of your washing machine to kill bacteria

Always rinse raw produce in water;

if necessary, use a small vegetable

brush to remove dirt

Basic Step #2: Separate, Don’t Cross-contaminate!

Cross-contaminate is the scientific word for how bacteria can be spread from one food product to another

Be extra careful with raw meat, poultry, and seafood Keep these foods and their juices away from foods that aren’t going to

be cooked

Use a different color-coded cutting board for raw meats, and separate one for non-meat foods

Avoid putting clean food on an unwashed

plate that held raw food

Basic Step #3: Cook to Proper Temperatures

Foods are safely cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria in food

Use a clean food thermometer to measure internal temperatures of cooked foods – this ensures that your foods are cooked all the way through!

When cooking in a microwave, make sure there

are not cold spots in food where bacteria can

survive

Food Internal Temperature

Ground meats: beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey

160°F

Raw beef, veal, pork 145°F

Poultry (turkey, chicken) 165°F

Eggs 160°F

Leftovers 165°F

Fish Until meat flakes with a fork

Internal Cooking Temperatures

Step #4: Chill

Refrigerate foods quickly – bacteria in food can double every 20 minutes at room temperature

Make sure your home refrigerator is set to 40°F or below; freezer 0°F or below

Refrigerate or freeze perishables or prepared food and leftovers within 2 hours

Don’t thaw foods at room temperature

Marinate foods in the refrigerator

Don’t pack your refrigerator too full. Cold air needs to circulate and keep food safe!

How Long Can Food Last in the Refrigerator?

The maximum amount of time a food can last in the refrigerator is up to 7 days

But remember, different foods will have different guidelines

Visit www.fightbac.org for more specific information on storage information

Fresh Produce

All produced purchased pre-cut or peeled should be refrigerated for safety as well as quality

Produce cut or peeled at home should be refrigerated within two hours

Any cut or peeled produce that is left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be thrown away

Re-heating Ready-to-eat Foods

Even some refrigerated, pre-cooked foods can become re-contaminated with bacteria after they have been processed and packaged

These foods include: hot dogs, lunch meats, col cuts, other deli-style meat and poultry products that are kept refrigerated

Reheat these foods until they’re steaming hot!

Be Safe When Eating Out or Ordering “Take-Out”

Keep in mind that hot or cold ready-prepared meals are perishable and can cause illness when mishandled

When you go out to eat, look at how clean things are before you sit down; if it’s not up to your standards, you might want to eat somewhere else

Always order your food cooked to a safe internal temperature, especially for meat, poultry, fish, and eggs

Proper handling is essential to ensure the food is safe!

The “2-hour rule”

Harmful bacteria can multiply in the “temperature danger zone” or “TDZ” – between 40 and 140°F

Discard any perishable foods left at room temperature longer than 2 hours (this also applies to cold and hot foods that are purchased at the store)

If you are not eating within 2 hours, and you want to keep your food hot and temperature safe, you can keep it in your oven at 140-200°

But remember: your food will taste better if you don’t keep it in the oven for too long!

Restaurant Leftovers

Care must be taken when handling leftovers

If you will not be arriving home within 2 hours of being served, it is safer to leave the leftovers at the restaurant

Remember that keeping leftovers in your car can make bacteria grow rapidly

Questions/Comments

Remember…

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

If you’d like to know more about food safety, visit the following websites:

www.foodsafety.gov

www.fightback.org

www.fsis.usda.gov