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Prevention
It is important to prevent food-borne illness by cleaning, separating, cooking, and chilling foods appropriately. Hands and surface areas should be cleaned with hot soapy water, and food handlers must practice good personal hygiene and sanitary food preparation. Raw fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly, and unpasteurized milk, bulging cans, and foods showing signs of mold should always be avoided. In order to avoid cross-contamination, raw foods should be kept separate from cooked foods.
Hot foods should be kept hot (at or above 140 degrees Fahrenheit), and cold foods cold (at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit). Leftovers should be heated to at least 165 degrees before serving.
Ground meats should be cooked at or above 165 degrees. Cooking to proper temperatures and time will kill harmful bacteria that cause food-borne illness. Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees. However, the danger zone is between 60 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures in this zone allow rapid growth of bacteria and production of toxins by some bacteria. Therefore, foods should be refrigerated, since cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. It is recommended that refrigerators be kept between 34 and 38 degrees, while freezers should be kept at 0 degrees. Most food-borne illnesses occur because of the ignorance or carelessness of people who handle food, and such illnesses can be easily prevented.
Fight Disease: Wash Your Hands
Amid the technological marvels of the twenty-first century, health care specialists agree that the single most effective way to prevent the transmission of disease is by washing your hands. Unwashed hands are thought to be responsible for one-quarter of food-borne illnesses, including E. coli and salmonella, and are a major means of transmission for SARS, meningitis, hepatitis, and the common cold. Studies have shown that infection rates in schools and day-care centers plummet after the launch of hand-washing campaigns. The most important times to wash your hands are after using the toilet or handling a diaper, handling raw food such as chicken, sneezing or coughing into your hand, or being out in public. While anitbacterial soaps are considered no more effective than regular soaps, alcohol gels in "hand sanitizers" have received high praise for their ability to eliminate germs.
—Paula Kepos
Treatment
Persons suffering from a food-borne illness should consult a physician if the following symptoms persist for more than two or three days: a fever of 102 degrees or higher, presence of blood in the stool, or dehydration (as indicated by dizziness upon standing). Medical help should also be sought if
The treating physician should notify the local health department, who will then notify the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To minimize risks for food poisoning to others, the local health department should be contacted if the food was consumed at a large gathering; if the food came from a restaurant, deli, vendor, or kitchen that serves a large number of people, or if the food was a commercial product.
SEE ALSO FOOD SAFETY; ORGANISMS, FOOD-BORNE.
Tanya Sterling Toni Martin
Bibliography
Mahan, L. Kathleen, and Escott-Stump, Sylvia (2000). Krause's Food, Nutrition, and Diet Therapy, 10th edition. Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders.
Townsend, Carolyn E., and Roth, Ruth A. (2000). Nutrition and Diet Therapy, 7th edition. Albany, NY: Delmar.
Internet Resources
Clemson Extension, Home and Garden Information Center. "Foodborne Illness: Prevention Strategies." Available from <http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC3620.htm>
HIVpositive.com. "Foodborne Illness." Available from <http://www.hivpositive.com/f-Nutrition/Foodborne/Foodill.html>
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Author Info: Tanya Sterling, Toni Martin, The Gale Group Inc., Macmillan Reference USA, New York, Gale Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Well Being, 2004 |
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