Food Safety Overview and Hazards Quiz

Food Safety Overview

• Consumers expect food to be 100% safe.
• Food safety is free from defects that may cause consumer illness and injury.
• Food safety issues can arise from various sources including transportation, handling, storage, packaging, processing, raw materials, and ingredients.

Food Safety Hazards

• Toxicity: The capacity of a substance to harm.
• Hazard: The likelihood of harm occurring.
• Safety: The absence of likelihood to harm when used normally.
• Proposition 65: Chemicals traced in food may cause cancer.
• Prion: A factor linked to Mad Cow Disease.
• Pesticides, Fertilizers, Drug Residues: These can contaminate food.
• Chemicals and Pollutants: Tuna, for example, can be contaminated with heavy metals.
• Physical Contaminants: Examples include glass, bone in non-bone products, and broken needles.
• Additives, Colorants, and Flavors: These may cause allergic reactions or mislabeling issues.

Foodborne Illness

• Pathogens: Cause foodborne disease (e.g., E.coli)
• Spoilage: Affects meat quality (e.g., discoloration, rotten smell)
• Foodborne Illness Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea.
• Annual Statistics: 48 million cases, 125,000 hospitalizations, 3,000 deaths.
• Economic Loss: Billions of dollars.

Common Foodborne Pathogens

• Norovirus: The #1 virus.
• Salmonella: The #1 bacteria and the leading cause of death.
• Clostridium:
• Campylobacter:
• Staphylococcus:
• Listeria monocytogenes: The #1 foodborne death rate (16%). Found in ready-to-eat foods.

Two Types of Foodborne Illness

• Foodborne Infection: Living pathogenic microorganisms that enter the human intestinal tract.
• Foodborne Intoxication: Toxins formed by microbes in food. Microorganisms do not need to be consumed.
  • Staph: 1-7 hours
  • Salmonella: 7-72 hours
  • Listeria: 2-3 days
  • E.coli: 3-4 days

At-Risk Populations

• Immunocompromised: Individuals with weakened immune systems.
• Pregnant Women:
• Children & Infants:
• Elderly:

Foodborne Outbreaks

• Occur when two or more people experience similar illnesses after eating the same food.
• Causes:
  • Contaminated Foods: 65%
  • Animal Contact: 34%
  • Salmonella Strains in Labs: 1%
• Root Vegetables: The leading cause of foodborne illnesses (18.3%).
• Top Three Outbreaks:
  • Salmonella: 83 outbreaks (64%)
  • STEC: 29 cases (22%)
  • Listeria: 18 outbreaks (14%)

Bacterial Growth

• Binary Fission: One bacterium splits into two.
• Generation Time: The time it takes for a bacterial population to double.
• Factors Affecting Bacterial Growth:
  • Temperature
  • Oxygen
  • pH:
  • Moisture
  • Nutrient Substrate

Controlling Bacterial Growth

• Low Temperatures: Essential for food preservation.
  • 85% of foods are refrigerated.
  • A 10 °C temperature increase reduces shelf life by 50%.
• Oxygen Control: Vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)
• Metal Detectors: Identify metal contaminants in food.
• X-ray Machines: Detect a wider range of hazards.
• Food Radar Systems

Additional Food Safety Hazards

• Insects: Can serve as vectors for pathogens.
• Hair
• Filth
• Spoilage
• Economic Fraud
• Regulatory Food Standards Violations

Important Pathogen Notes

• Norovirus:
• Salmonella spp. (Nontyphoidal):
  • Rod-shaped
  • Gram-negative
  • Non-spore-forming
  • Motile
  • Found in the intestinal tracts of warm and cold-blooded animals
  • Can be ingested through food, fecal particles, or water
  • Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever
• Clostridium Perfringens:
  • Rod-shaped
  • Spore-forming
  • Gram-positive
  • Anaerobic
  • Found in soil and the intestines of humans and animals
  • Targets schools, hospitals, and nursing homes
  • Causes gastrointestinal illness
  • Oral transmission