Food Safety - Preventing Foodborne Illness
Introduction
It must be something I ate," is often the explanation
people give for a bout of home-grown "Montezuma's Revenge" (acute diarrhea) or some other unwelcome
gastrointestinal upset.
Despite the fact that America's food supply is the safest in the world, the
unappetizing truth is that what we eat can very well be the vehicle for
foodborne illnesses that can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms and may be
life-threatening to the less healthy among us. Seventy-six million cases of
foodborne illness occur in the United States every year.
The Food and Drug Administration has given high priority to combating
microbial contamination of the food supply. But the agency can't do the job
alone.
Consumers have a part to play, especially when it comes to following safe
food-handling practices in the home.
The prime causes of foodborne illness are bacteria,
viruses and parasites.
Bacteria causing foodborne illness include Escherichia coli O157:H7,
Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes,
Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio
vulnificus, and Shigella. Viruses, such as hepatitis A virus and
noroviruses, can also cause foodborne illness. Parasites are another origin of
this type of illness and include Giardia lamblia, Cyclospora cayetanensis,
and Cryptosporidium parvum.
These organisms can become unwelcome guests at the
dinner table. They can be in a wide range of foods, including meat, milk and
other dairy products, spices, chocolate, seafood, and even water.
Specific foods that have been implicated in foodborne illnesses are
unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices and ciders; raw or undercooked eggs or
foods containing undercooked eggs; chicken, tuna, potato and macaroni salads;
cream-filled pastries; and fresh produce.
Bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio
parahaemolyticus, and Salmonella have been found in raw seafood. Oysters,
clams, mussels, scallops, and cockles may be contaminated with hepatitis A virus.
Careless food handling sets the stage for the growth of
disease-causing "bugs." For example, hot or cold foods left standing too long at
room temperature provide an ideal climate for bacteria to grow. Improper cooking also
plays a role in foodborne illness.
Foods may be cross-contaminated when cutting boards and kitchen tools that
have been used to prepare a contaminated food, such as raw chicken, are not
cleaned before being used for another food, such as vegetables that will not be
cooked.
Symptoms of fooborne illness
Common symptoms of foodborne illness include diarrhea,
abdominal cramping,
fever, headache,
vomiting, severe exhaustion, and sometimes blood or pus in the
stools. However, symptoms will vary according to the type of organism and the
amount of contaminants eaten.
In rare instances, symptoms may come on as early as a half hour after eating
the contaminated food, but they typically do not develop for several days or
weeks. Symptoms of viral or parasitic illnesses may not appear for several weeks
after exposure. Symptoms usually last only a day or two, but in some cases can
persist a week to 10 days. For most healthy people, foodborne illnesses are
neither long-lasting nor life-threatening. However, they can be severe in the
very young, the very old, and people with certain diseases and conditions.
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