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Foodborne Illness
A Constant Challenge
In a perfect world, foodborne illness would
not exist. But according to public
health
officials, the likelihood of this happening
is remote. In 1994, the non-profit
Council
for Agricultural Science and Technology
(CAST)
published a report titled, "Foodborne
Pathogens: Risks and Consequences,"
that said that zero risk of microbiological
hazards is not possible and no one
method
will eliminate all pathogens or toxins
from
the food chain.
Why? Despite progress improving the
quality
and safety of foods, the CAST report
explained
that any raw agricultural product can
be
contaminated. Bacteria may survive
despite
aggressive controls at the processing
level,
or the food may become contaminated
during
preparation, cooking, serving and storage.
Further, the CAST report stressed
what
food
safety and public health officials
have all
recognized: everyone in the food system,
from producers to preparers, must be
vigilant
in controlling microbiological hazards.
Accordingly,
food safety experts are stepping up
calls
for education about safe food handling
because
of the following factors that make
controlling
foodborne pathogens particularly challenging:
- Consumers do not always take time to wash
hands and utensils or thaw meats properly.
- Emerging pathogens demand even greater food
safety vigilance than what was required in
previous generations.
- The food supply has become global with many
different countries supplying food products
to the U.S.
- More food is prepared and consumed away from
home. The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) estimates that consumers spend
43
cents of every food dollar eating
out. Also,
an increasing amount of food prepared
away
from the home is then taken home
for consumption,
thus creating new opportunities for
mishandling.
Adding to the challenge, microorganisms continue
to adapt and evolve, often increasing
their
degree of virulence. For example,
in 1990,
the U.S. Public Health Service identified
E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria
monocytogenes
and Campylobacter jejuni as the four
most
serious foodborne pathogens in the
U.S. because
of the severity and estimated number
of illnesses
they cause. Of these, Campylobacter,
Listeria
and E. coli O157:H7 were unrecognized
as
sources of foodborne disease 20 years
ago.
At the same time, bacteria already
recognized
as sources of foodborne illness have
found
new modes of transmission. While many
illnesses
from E. coli O157:H7 occur from eating
undercooked
ground beef, these bacteria have also
been
traced to other foods, such as salami,
raw
milk, lettuce and unpasteurized apple
cider.
Salmonella Enteritidis, which once
only contaminated
the outside of egg shells, is now found
inside
many eggs, making uncooked eggs no
longer
safe to eat.
For these reasons, food safety and
public
health officials agree that along with
aggressive
efforts to identify, assess and control
microbiological
hazards associated with each segment
of the
food production system, an intensified
focus
on education about safe food handling
must
become a national priority. Consumers,
as
the last stop in the farm-to-table
continuum,
have an important role to play in protecting
themselves.
If you have questions or concerns
about
food
safety, contact:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Meat and Poultry Hotline at (800) 535-4555
or (202) 720-3333 (Washington, DC area).
The TTY number for the hearing impaired
is
(800) 256-7072.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Information Line at (888) SAFE FOOD.
Reprinted with permission from
The Fight BAC!™ Web site at: www.fightbac.org
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