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The Danger of Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illnesses are the greatest danger to food safety. A food- borne illness is a disease carried or transmitted to people by food.
Each year, millions of people are affected by foodborne illness, although the majority of cases are not reported and do not occur at restaurants and
food service establishments. The following are the most commonly reported causes of foodborne illnesses: Failure to cool food properly, Failure to
cook and hold food at the proper temperature, Poor personal hygiene.
Preventing Foodborne Illness
Although any food can become contaminated, most foodborne illnesses are transmitted through food in which microorganisms are able to grow rapidly.
Potentially Hazardous Food: Tofu or other Soy Protein Foods, Meat, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Milk and Milk Products, Cooked Rice, Beans, or other Heat-Treated
Plant Foods, Fish, Poultry, Sliced Melons, Baked or Boiled Potatoes, Garlic-in-Oil Mixtures, Shellfish and Crustacean, Sprouts and Raw Seeds, Shell
eggs, Synthetic Ingredients such as Textured Soy Protein.
Potential Hazards to Food Safety
Food safety hazards are divided into three categories: biological hazards, chemical hazards and physical hazards.
Biological hazards include certain bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, as well as certain plants, mushrooms and fish carry harmful toxins.
Chemical hazards include pesticides, food additives, preservatives, cleaning supplies and toxic metals that leach from cookware and equipment.
Physical hazards consist of foreign objects that accidentally get into the food, such as hair, dirt, metal staples and broken glass.
By far, biological hazards pose the greatest threat to food safety.
Cross-Contamination
Cross-contamination occurs when microorganisms are transferred from one surface or food to another. Common factors responsible for food- borne
illness include: Adding raw, contaminated ingredients to food that receives no further cooking. Food-contact surfaces ( such as equipment or utensils)
that are not cleaned and sanitized before touching cooked or ready-to-eat food. Allowing raw food to touch or drip fluids onto cooked or ready-to-eat
foods. Hands that touch contaminated (usually raw) food and then touch cooked or ready-to-eat food. Contaminated cleaning cloths that are not cleaned
and sanitized before being used on other food-contact surfaces.
Poor Personal Hygiene
Individuals with unacceptable personal hygiene can contaminate food or food-contact surfaces and cause illness. Common factors responsible for
foodborne illness include: Failure to wash hand properly after using the restrooms or whenever necessary. Coughing or sneezing on food. Touching
or scratching sores, cuts or boils and then touching food being prepared.
Key Practices for Ensuring Food Safety
Controlling Time and Temperature
Storage: Store food at its recommended temperature.
Preparation: Minimize time spent in the temperature danger zone of 41deg F to 140 deg F.
Cooking: Cook food to its required minimum temperature for the appropriate amount of time.
Holding: Hold hot food at 140 degrees F or higher and cold food at 41 degrees F or lower.
Cooling: Cool cooked food from 140 degrees F to 70 degrees F within two hours and from 70 degrees F to 41 degrees F or lower within an additional
four hours, for a total cooling time of
six hours.
Reheating: Reheat food to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F for fifteen seconds within two hours.
Practicing Good Personal Hygiene
Proper handwashing: Hands and fingernails should be washed and cleaned thoroughly before and after handling food, betweeneach task and before using
food preparation equipment. Strictly enforce rules regarding eating, drinking and smoking:These activities should be prohibited while preparing
food or while in areas used for washing and storing equipment and utensils. Drinks can be stored in a covered cup with a straw only. Gloves must
never be used in place of handwashing. Hands mustbe washed before putting on gloves and when changing to a fresh pair. Gloves should be changed:
as soon as they become soiled or torn, before beginning a different task.Wear a clean hat or other hair restraint. Wear clean clothing. Wear a clean
apron and remove it when leaving food-preparation area. Remove jewelry prior to preparing or serving food and while working around food preparation area.
Preventing Cross-Contamination
Never touch raw food and then touch ready-to-eat food without washing your hands. Do not allow raw food to touch or drip fluids onto cooked or ready-to-eat food.
Clean and sanitize food contact surfaces that touch contaminated food before coming in contact with cooked or ready-to-eat food. Clean and sanitize cleaning
cloths between each use.
What Microorganisms Need to Grow
Food to grow, foodborne microorganisms need nutrients, specifically proteins and carbohydrates. Acidity The pH of a substance tells how acidic or alkaline it
is. Foodborne microorganisms typically do not grow in highly acidic or highly alkaline food. Pathogenic bacteria grow best in food that has a
neutral pH, which includes most of the food we eat. Temperature Most foodborne microorganisms grow well between the temperatures of 41 degrees F and 140
degrees F. This range is known as the temperature danger zone. Exposing microorganisms to temperatures outside
the danger zone does not necessarily kill them. Refrigeration temperatures, for example, may only
slow their growth. Time Foodborne microorganisms need sufficient time to grow. Bacteria can double their population every twenty minutes. If contaminated food
remains in the danger zone for four hours or more, pathogenic microorganisms can grow to levels high enough to make someone ill. Oxygen Some microorganisms
require oxygen to grow, while others grow only when oxygen is absent. Most microorganisms causing foodborne illness can grow with or without the presence of
oxygen. Moisture Because most foodborne microorganisms require water to grow, they grow will in moist food.
Refrigerator Storage
Cooked and Ready-to-Eat Food (In order from top shelf to bottom shelf)
Whole Fish
Whole Meat
Ground Meat
Poultry
Never place hot food in the refrigerator. This could warm up the interior enough to put other food in the temperature danger zone. Wrap food properly. Leaving
food uncovered can lead to cross-contamination.
Four Hour Rule
Potentially hazardous food may not be exposed to the temperature danger zone for more than four hours. The exposure time accumulates during each stage of handling.
Exposure time begins again when the food is held for serving, cooled and reheated.
Thawing Food Properly
Freezing does not kill microorganisms, but it does slow their growth. When frozen food is thawed and exposed to the temperature danger zone, any food borne
microorganisms present will begin to grow and multiply. Four acceptable ways to thaw food: In a refrigerator, at 41 degrees F or lower. Submerged under running
drinkable water, at a temperature of 70 degrees F or lower. In a microwave oven, if the food will be cooked immediately after thawing. As part of the cooking
process, as long as the product meets the required minimum internal cooking temperature.
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