EH 2000
Spring 2017
Food Safety
In the United States, there are many regulations that we place on the quality and freshness of food to minimize the risk posed to us by contaminated food. There are three ways food can be contaminated: physically, chemically, and biologically.
The first type of contamination is chemical. The food we eat can be contaminated by several different chemical vectors. Sources of chemical contamination that many worry about are pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides used during the farming process. Many of the foods we eat today make it to the dinner table with these chemicals still on them. Pre-washing food before consuming it is a good way to remove these chemicals, although it does not have 100% effectiveness.
Another source of chemical contamination is from the pharmaceuticals used on cattle. The same antibiotics we get from our doctors end up in our meats. Farmers use copious amounts of drugs on cows, pigs, and chickens to keep them healthy for the slaughter. These chemicals have managed to have effects on the endocrine system of countless Americans who consume the meat treated with it. The effects are exacerbated among humans going through puberty, often causing them to begin changing earlier than usual.
Physical contamination is a more worrisome threat to the average person because of the natural fear humans have of biting into something dangerous inside our food. Physical contamination of food entails non-food items, such as nails, glass, hair, or even beaks inside one’s food. The FDA requires safety precautions against this sort of contamination, but non-food items certainly do end up in food from time to time. There is also the worry of employee sabotage, be it from a sassy waitress or from the butcher himself. From first-hand experience in the food industry, I can say that sort of occurrence is extremely rare, but not impossible. If there is a case of physical contamination reported, not only should the food in question be examined, but the entire process of that food’s production should be examined to find the source.
Lastly, biological contamination refers to the contamination of food by organisms that do not belong in that food. This can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, or even parasites. This is probably the most common type of food contamination, being that most food has at least one type of these organisms in them already. Food should always be kept at a safe temperature and cooked for long enough to be considered safe before eating. Cross-contamination is also another common source of problems. Raw meat should always be prepared separately from produce. Even cutting boards that were once used for meat must be washed before being used to cut something else.
http://www.foodqualityandsafety.com/article/avoiding-physical-contamination/?singlepage=1
FAT-TOM is a useful acronym to remember the factors that affect how quickly harmful organisms will grow inside your food. F stands for food. Obviously, some foods will go bad faster than others. Leaving chicken or pork out will result in harmful levels of bacteria in roughly four hours. Honey, on the other hand, will never go bad. “A” stands for acidity. Some bacteria grow faster in a highly acidic food product; some will grow more slowly. The first “T” stands for time. Bacteria has a generation time which is how long it takes for them to reproduce and double in number. Leaving the food out for longer will result in more harmful bacteria. The second “T” stands for temperature. Hot food should always be served hot. Cold food should always be served cold. Most bacteria grow best somewhere between 30 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping your food outside of this range slows the progression of harmful pathogens. The “O” stands for oxygen. Many bacteria are anaerobic, but most found in food are aerobic so minimizing airflow to your food will slow their growth substantially. Lastly, “M” stands for moisture. Bacteria require water to reproduce, and moist food is an endless source of water. Dehydrating food keeps bacteria at bay for long periods.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/L4.1
The five most common causes of food contamination are as follows.
1. Holding potentially dangerous foods at the wrong temperatures.
2. Improper cooking temperatures of food.
3. Dirty or contaminated cooking or handling utensils.
4. Poor employee hygiene.
5. Food from unsafe sources
