Category Archives: food-safety

Listeria an Emerging Threat

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listeria

Listeria bacteria can be found in soil, water and animal feces. Humans typically are infected by consuming:

Raw vegetables that have been contaminated from the soil or from contaminated manure used as fertilizer.
Infected meat.
Unpasteurized milk or foods made with unpasteurized milk.
Certain processed foods — such as soft cheeses, hot dogs and deli meats that have been contaminated after processing.

Eric and Ryan Jensen recently walked out of court as free men. They are charged with knowing, or should have known that their cantaloupes were contaminated with listeria. This issue in 2011 killed 33 people. What jerks these Jensens are!

From August through October 2011, 147 people in 28 states were infected with Listeria monocytogenes after eating cantaloupe from Jensen Farms in Colorado. There were 33 deaths, and one pregnant women had a miscarriage as a result, making it one of the deadliest outbreak of foodborne illness in the U.S. in recent years.

Apart from some diarrhea or minor gastrointestinal problems, most people don’t get sick when they’re exposed to Listeria. But, if the pathogen gets into their bloodstream, it can cause listeriosis, a disease that kills one out of every five victims. Because of these odds, Listeria has the highest mortality rate of foodborne pathogens.

Groups most at risk for Listeria infections are older adults, pregnant women and people with an underlying medical conditions such as cancer liver or kidney disease, diabetes or HIV/AIDS.

People 65 and older are four times more likely to get sick from Listeria poisoning than the general population, and pregnant women – who may not develop listeriosis themselves but whose babies could be threatened – are 10 times more likely.

Foods that typically cause Listeria outbreaks are Mexican-style soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, deli meats, and hot dogs. Produce was not often identified as a source in the past, but sprouts caused an outbreak in 2009, and pre-cut celery caused an outbreak in 2010.

In addition to its high mortality rate, Listeria is an unusual foodborne pathogen because it can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperatures. In order to avoid Listeria, CDC recommends that high-risk consumers heat hot dogs, lunch meats and cold cuts to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and avoid products with unpasteurized milk, refrigerated paté or meal spreads, and uncooked smoked seafood.

When it comes to melon safety, consumers and food preparers should wash their hands before and after handling a whole melon, scrub the outside of melons under running water and dry them with a clean cloth or paper towel before cutting, and then promptly consume or refrigerate cut melon and keep it for no more than a week.

Food Safety Tips for Leftovers

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food safety tips for leftovers
Whether it’s a doggie bag from your favorite restaurant, last night’s meat loaf or an extra carton of takeout food, leftovers find their way into our mealtime repertoires. And let’s face it—most of us love leftovers. Not only does the food often taste better the next day (thanks to flavors melding together), but busy cooks get a night off. Here are guidelines to properly store and reheat last night’s feast:

Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours.

Cool leftovers quickly. Before refrigerating or freezing, slice large cuts of meat and store in serving-size packets. Use small containers to store stews and chilis.

Label leftovers with the date.

Check the refrigerator once a week and discard old leftovers. When in doubt, throw it out!

Reheat leftovers until piping hot all the way through.

To ensure even reheating in a microwave oven:
Cover food with a vented covering.
Rotate food halfway through cooking time.
Stir food halfway through cooking time (even if oven has turntable).
Stir food again after cooking is completed.
Allow food to stand for five minutes after cooking.

Never reheat leftovers in a slow-cooker. The gradual heating promotes bacterial growth.

New FDA Rules for Imported Food Initiative

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New FDA rules for imported food

With some foodborne illness outbreaks traced to imported goods—gourmet cheese, for example, the Obama administration has strengthened its initiatives for improving food safety in the country, according to a Washington Post report.

The government has finally released FDA proposals on ensuring that imported food meets US food safety standards. According to the CDC, over 48 million Americans get sick from contaminated foods. 3,000 die from these foods each year.

The new regulations, in a way, are intended to address this problem so the average food server or convenience store clerk doesn’t have to painstakingly inspect each food item. Drafted by the US Food and Drug Administration, the new rules aim to put a food safety system in place by preventing foodborne illness incidences rather than simply containing outbreaks.

Under the new policies, US-based importers would have to guarantee that their overseas suppliers are observing strict food safety practices in their host countries. The policy also emphasizes on improving the transparency of food safety audits.

The FDA reports that 15 percent of the country’s food supply is sourced from overseas. These imports come from over 150 countries. These imports constitute 80 percent of seafood, 50 percent of fresh fruits and 20 percent of veggies.

The FDA is open to comments and suggestions on the new proposals for the next 120 days.

Top Ten Home Food Safety Tips

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storing food

1 Organize and manage your refrigerator and oven space in a way to keep hot foods at 140 degrees or more and cold foods at 40 degrees or below.

2 Cook food to its proper temperature to ensure that any bacteria is killed off. Leftovers should be cooked to 165 degrees and kept above 140 degrees during serving.

3 Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation. Leaving food out too long is a safety hazard. Ensure the fridge is not too packed but has plenty of air circulating around the food.

4 Defrost food stuffs properly, especially poultry and meats. Allow five hours per five pounds to defrost in the refrigerator after removing from a deep freeze. Never defrost on the kitchen counter.

5 Wash your hands thoroughly and often. It’s a good habit to clean hands before, during and after food preparation. It’s the easiest way to minimize bacterial contamination.

6 Wash all fresh produce, even prepackaged greens to minimize potential bacterial contamination. Make sure kitchen counters, sponges, cutting boards and knives are all well scrubbed.

7 Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees. Popping cold food into the microwave may seem safe enough. But you really need to use a thermometer to make sure all the food is reheated enough to kill bacteria.

8 Do not allow guests with inquisitive fingers in your kitchen, especially if they happen to visit you in the cold and flu season.

9 Always check the use-by or expiration dates of food products. Make it a habit to look for the fine print on ready-made food items for the recommended consumption period.

10 Do not eat food containing uncooked eggs, or you risk contract salmonella. Eggs should always be stored in a fridge and cooked well.

Food Safety is Everyones Responsibility

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Food vendors in your community, which include but are not limited to convenience stores, restaurants and delis should observe local statutes for food safety on the local, government or federal level. These rules vary depending on one’s jurisdiction but the basics should be covered. These basics include sourcing foods from safe locations, storing and cooking food to the recommended temperatures, proper food handling, and observing good hygiene and sanitation.
Scheduled Inspections

Some people think that taking antibiotics and recovering from a foodborne incidence is enough. For them, what happened was a mere misfortune—they were just there at the wrong place, at a very wrong time. And most of the time, the food workers are to blame. But while they may have taken part in why you’re suffering a terrible stomach upset from that shellfish or steak you’ve eaten, you also have some duties to fulfill as a consumer. Foodsafety.gov and the Center for Disease Control have come up with a guideline about it as summarized below by our writer:
Food Safety Requirements for Vendors.

Communities should conduct food inspections regularly and use a standardized inspection form or scoring system on evaluating food vendors.
Keeping Scores

Food vendors should make it a point to post their inspection reports on the premises for the general public to see. These reports should contain their rating—either numerical or letter-grade from a to c, or a pass/fail one. Should citations be issued, the vendor should also post a copy of the committed violations along with their inspection report, and not hide it from the public.

The reports are also published on the internet, take note, so if you ever have the time to see how your local restaurant fares before visiting them, you may do so by going online and checking their rating on the regulatory agency’s website.

If you’ve visited a restaurant that’s not posting their reports for everybody to see, then contact your local food authority. Visit the Directory of State and Local Officials website to know more about the contact details of your local food regulatory agency.
Reporting Incidences of Foodborne Illnesses

You have to let health authorities know about your experience of contracting a foodborne illness. It is necessary for health department officials to know about it so they can be able to track down the cause of the illness, and find out if it is linked to any outbreaks or upcoming ones. The information you provide will also help authorities prevent the potential spread of the foodborne illness.