Module 5: Food Safety Precautions

Combatting Foodborne Illnesses

Consumer Side

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the consumers take the following steps while shopping to avoid  foodborne illnesses:

• Check for cleanliness: see if the retailer you buy from follows proper food handling techniques

• Separate foods: separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods at all times

• Do not buy open or bulging jars or cans. A bulging lid may mean that the food was under-processed and is contaminated; openings in the can may lead to contamination

• Do not buy frozen food with damaged packaging.

• Select frozen foods and perishables last: place meat, poultry, fish, and eggs in the cart first, so that their juices do not drip onto other foods

• Carefully choose fresh eggs: buy only non-cracked, refrigerated eggs

• Be mindful of temperature: place all perishable foods that should be refrigerated or frozen in the appropriate place within two hours(1)

More broadly, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) gives the following suggestions for proper food handling at all stages:

• Clean: wash hands and cooking surfaces thoroughly. Wash hands and kitchen utensils with soap and water after preparing each food item

• Separate: do not use the same utensils or surfaces for raw meat, poultry, and seafood as those used for other foods

• Cook (at safe temperatures):

  • 145°F for beef, lamb, and veal

  • 160°F for ground meats, pork, and egg dishes

  • 165°F for ground turkey and chicken, stuffing, and leftovers

  • 170°F for chicken and turkey breasts

  • 180°F for chicken and turkey (whole)

• Chill: promptly refrigerate or freeze perishable foods, prepared foods, and leftovers (within two hours)(2)

Food Producer/Preparer Side

Food safety begins with the food producers and farmers involved in agricultural production. Producers should use appropriate types and levels of pesticides, fertilizers, and veterinary drugs. Retailers must ensure proper food handling at all stages of transport and delivery. According to a 2002-03 study, 65% of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants in the United States were caused by direct transmission from an infected employee. Thus, food service companies must train employees to understand the causes of foodborne illness and the best practices for avoiding contamination, such as not handling food when infected, washing hands properly, and not touching food to be served with bare hands.(3)

Food Safety Regulation Programs

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that traditional food safety measures have not effectively prevented foodborne diseases in recent years. The WHO therefore aims to reduce the burden of foodborne illness through systematic applications of risk analysis, with the principal goal: “To reduce the health and social burden of foodborne disease.”(4)

The “WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety” specifically calls for the following approaches, many of which are interconnected:

• Strengthening surveillance systems of foodborne diseases: to allow for rapid detection and solutions to outbreaks

• Improving risk assessment: developed through WHO/FAO Joint Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment. Steps include developing international tools for setting standards, developing appropriate risk assessments, and effectively transferring technologies and data about risk assessment among countries

• Developing methods to assess the safety of goods produced by new technologies: sets standards for genetically modified foods, for example

• Enhancing the role of the WHO in Codex: increasing effective participation of developing countries in following Codex standards and recommendations

• Improving risk communication: this will build trust between member nations and the WHO. Risk communication will target specific needs of member states

• Improving international cooperation: the WHO will collaborate with national and international organizations to ensure food safety systems along the entire food chain

• Strengthening capacity building in developing countries: analyzes the gaps and needs in national food safety plans and trains staff in foodborne disease surveillance

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is an example of an internationally recognized method of food safety assurance. Conceived by the Pillsbury Company, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the US Army Laboratories to ensure the safety of astronauts’ food, the HACCP system has been implemented internationally. The seven principles of the HACCP system are:

• Conduct a hazard analysis, which includes collecting and evaluating information on hazards

• Determine the critical control points (CCPs), which are defined as any step at which control can be applied in order to prevent a food safety hazard

• Establish critical limits that determine acceptability

• Establish a system to monitor control of CCPs, including planning sequences of observations and measurements of parameters

• Establish corrective action to take when a particular CCP is not under control

• Establish procedures to verify that the HACCP system is working

• Establish documentation concerning all appropriate procedures(5)

In addition to systems and policies, there are many national and international organizations designed to ensure food safety. Some of these programs include:

• WHO Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses (FOS): leads efforts to reduce the global burden of foodborne disease. FOS focuses on:

  • Providing evidence-based scientific options for food safety policies

  • Developing strategies to mitigate risk

  • Setting and promoting implementation of international standards

  • Coordinating international efforts on foodborne disease surveillance, detection, and response

  • Ensuring communication about foodborne and zoonotic disease prevention

  • Providing technical support to build sustainable capacity in Member States(6)

• The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN): a joint initiative between the WHO and FAO, incorporating 194 member states, each with a designated INFOSAN emergency contact point. The goal of INFOSAN is to:

  • “Promote the rapid exchange of information during food safety related events

  • Share information on important food safety related issues of global interest

  • Promote partnership and collaboration between countries

  • Help countries strengthen their capacity to manage food safety risks”(7)

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC): an intergovernmental body that implements the Codex Standards of international food safety

• The Global Foodborne Infections Network (GFN): an international network of institutions and individuals committed to enhancing food safety. Its partners include its three founding agencies (the WHO, CDC, and Danish Technical University-Food) and eight other global partners.(8) Its objective is to strengthen the capacities of national laboratories in the surveillance of major foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in salmonella and campylobacter from humans, food, and animals.(9) Since 2000, the GFN has trained more than 1,100 microbiologists and epidemiologists from over 130 countries, set up seven GFN centers designed to carry out its goals, and provided valuable information via publications and routine global communication.(10)

Footnotes

(1) FDA. "Start at the Store: 7 Ways to Prevent Foodborne Illness." (November 24, 2017) https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm094535.htm.

(2) USDA. Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Safety and Food Security: What Consumers Need to Know. 2003. Print.

(3) FDA. "Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Handbook.” https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection//UCM194575.pdf.

(4) WHO. Food Safety Department. WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety: Safer Food for Better Health. By WHO. 2002. Print.

(5) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). "HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROLPOINT (HACCP) SYSTEM AND GUIDELINES FOR ITS APPLICATION." Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System and Guidelines for Its Application. http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/Y1579E/y1579e03.htm.

(6) WHO. "About the WHO Department of Food Safety and Zoonoses." http://www.who.int/foodsafety/about/en/.

(7) FAO. “Early Warning and INFOSAN.”http://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/empres-food-safety/early-warning/en/.

(8) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Global Foodborne Infections Network." (January 2011) https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dfwed/pdfs/gfn.pdf.

(9) WHO. "Global Foodborne Infections Network (GFN)." http://www.who.int/gfn/supported/en/.

(10) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Global Foodborne Infections Network." (January 2011) https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dfwed/pdfs/gfn.pdf.