02251 Food Safety

To speak only of food inspections: the United States currently imports 80% of its seafood, 32% of its fruits and nuts, 13% of its vegetables, and 10% of its meats. In 2007, these foods arrived in 25,000 shipments a day from about 100 countries. The FDA was able to inspect about 1% of these shipments, down from 8% in 1992. In contrast, the USDA is able to inspect 16% of the foods under its purview. By one assessment, the FDA has become so short-staffed that it would take the agency 1,900 years to inspect every foreign plant that exports food to the United States. — Marion Nestle, Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine

Food borne Bacteria

The five biggest issues with Food borne bacteria are —

• salmonella,
• listeria,
• 5. Coli,
• 3. Botulinim,
• campylobacter.

Unfortunately, none of these are visible with the naked eye,

Campylobacter is a particular problem with raw or undercooked poultry. Never eat poultry that has any pink on the inside. Poultry must always be 100% cooked all the way to the bone. If you eat out, always use a knife and fork to cut open pieces of chicken to ensure they have been cooked thoroughly. If not, return it to the kitchen for more cooking. If that happens on a subsequent visit, find another restaurant to eat at since this one obviously doesn’t understand the importance of food safety.

C. Botulinim may be found in improperly canned low-acid items like vegetables or meats. If you do home canning, always follow science-based requirements to the letter for canning low-acid foods and avoid damaged commercial canned goods, such as those found in publications of the United States Extension system, the Blue Ball Canning Book, or Putting Food By. Find the National Center for Home Food Preservation online at http://nchfp.uga.edu/.

E. Coli is primarily a problem with meat that has been contaminated with feces and with untreated water. Ground meats should therefore always be cooked well done and be careful where you buy your ground meat. The best source for ground meat is a local farmer, as a pound of supermarket hamburger might have meat from dozens of different animals in several different states and even a foreign country or two. Many grocery stores sell meats that have been mixed with “pink slime,” a meat food additive drenched with ammonia to kill bacteria. Up to 15% of a ground meat product can be composed of pink slime (a/k/a lean finely textured beef) without being listed as an ingredient. As of mid 2012, 40% of ground beef sold in supermarkets included pink slime as an ingredient.

Listeria can be found in uncooked meats, vegetables, cold cuts, and soft cheeses. Cold cuts like sandwich meats are a bad idea when bought from the commercial supermarket system. They contain nitrites, which are not good for you, and they may contain mechanically separated meats like the infamous “pink slime.”

That’s why they are cheap.

Salmonella can be found in meat, poultry, and eggs that have been contaminated with feces. Salmonella infects the ovaries of the chickens and contaminates the eggs before the shell forms. “Over-easy eggs” can be a health hazard. Always cook eggs all the way and never eat or drink raw eggs.

While not a complete guarantee, one safety factor is to buy food directly from farmers and to avoid products from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. Nearly all meats and eggs in regular supermarkets come from CAFOs and they are at extra risk for contamination by deadly bacteria.

Food preparation surfaces should be kept clean. Use different cutting boards for vegetables and meat/poultry/fish. Cutting boards should always be sanitized after use. Wash with hot soapy water and rinse, use one of these methods to sanitize them:

1. Pour boiling water over the cutting board for 20 seconds, or
2. Rinse with a solution of one teaspoon unscented chlorine bleach in one quart of water.
3. Soak for 10 minutes in hot vinegar.

All vegetables should be carefully washed. If you peel the vegetable or fruit, wash it first, peel, and wash again. Always wash precut and bagged produce, even if it says “pre-washed.”

Here is a recipe for an all-natural rinse for vegetables:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 cup of water

Mix well, spray on vegetables and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse with water.

Highly contaminated vegetables, such as greens, may need to soak in a produce wash. For this kind of situation, prepare a solution that is half water and half vinegar, soak the greens for five minutes, then rinse.

Always refrigerate cooked items within two hours of preparation.

Store your vegetables and meats in your refrigerator carefully. Always place meats and poultry in a dish or pan so that juices from the packages do not contaminate other foods in the refrigerator.

There are food safety issues that are under your control and food safety issues that are not under your control. Some of those may be so out-of-control that nobody knows what’s going on.

Regarding the food safety issues where you have some measure of control. . . The most basic rules of food safety are:

Keep hot foods hot — above 140 degrees F.

Keep cold foods cold — below 40 degrees F. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of the meal. Don’t thaw or marinade foods outside of the refrigerator. When you thaw meats, poultry, or fish in the refrigerator, put them in containers to catch any leaks from the packaging.

Keep food preparation and serving areas clean. Download document 02251.1 for a government publication on kitchen sanitation at http://www.ipermie.net/ that discusses using natural products like vinegar to clean and sanitize your kitchen.

Clean your refrigerator and freezer regularly.

Always date food that goes into the freezer or refrigerator.

Wash your hands often during food preparation. Always wash your hands immediately after handling raw meats or eggs. Always wash your hands after you finish food preparation and before serving or eating.

Don’t cross contaminate. Keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs separate from all other foods in your grocery basket and in your refrigerator. Use separate cutting boards for meats/poultry/fish and vegetables.

Wash dishes promptly after meals. Stacks of dirty damp dishes in sinks are breeding grounds for germs.

Disinfect your sponges before use each time (without exception) or use a clean wash cloth each time you wash dishes. An easy and quick way to disinfect your sponge is to put it in the microwave for one minute. Alternatively, rinse and squeeze the water out of the sponge and soak it in hot vinegar for one minute or hot undiluted hydrogen peroxide for one minute.

The government website, http://www.foodsafety.gov/ has a wealth of information on food safety topics, organized for easy access.