Poor food preparation and handling in most homes has been identified as the major cause of food-borne illness. This is according to a study in consumer residences in Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand conducted through questionnaires and interviews. In review to the Food Safety Scenarios document, just like in the survey conducted, a majority of consumers lack knowledge of proper food handling routine. As a result of the poor food handling practices, there has been an increase in food-borne illnesses.
Scenario 1
What are the possible sources of food-borne illnesses?
Most households use the same kitchen equipment for meat and fresh produce. This leads to cross-contamination of food especially fruits. In the case of Jeremiah, he trimmed excess fat from the meat then used the same knife to cut the vegetables on the same chopping board. This is cross-contamination which can also be caused by lack of refrigerator temperature knowledge; this is the required temperature and time limits for different foodstuffs. Mean temperature for meat is averagely 6.2 o C -11.3 o C while that of salad is 7.4 o C-18.2 o C. Most consumers are not aware of the temperature requirements. Jeremiah for example placed the meat right on top of the salad. Not only was that encouraging cross-contamination, but he also did not adhere to the temperature requirements of the food.(Mitakakis et al.,2004)
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Other than cross-contamination, food bacteria can also get a chance to replicate especially if cooked food is left in open air for a long time. There is danger zone temperature (40 o F-140 o F) where bacteria get favorable conditions for replication. Jeremiah leaves the ready food on the counter as he takes a shower. Replication of bacteria increases the probability food-borne illnesses.
Ignorance of food safety practices can lead to illnesses when they can in fact be prevented. There were many instances that could have led to serious illness. Study shows that the bacterium salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium transfers from beef to fresh produce by cutting with the same knives or on the same wooden surface. If it is in contact with high density polyethylene it can also transfer. This can be prevented by washing kitchen equipment with detergent before use and using antibacterial spray when washing surfaces. Jeremiah could have prevented this by placing the meat in a container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so that juices do not drip to ready food and contaminate them. Other than improper handling, food that stays in danger zone temperatures (40 o F-140 o F) for long could allow bacteria to replicate. Food that is not in use should be placed in the refrigerator to avoid replication of bacteria. Jeremiah should have placed food in the back seat of his car rather than in the trunk. The trunk is much warmer and food is easily contaminated. Cross-contamination could have led to a serious case of illness.(Gkana et al.,2010)
Why is it safe for steak to be pink in the middle while potentially dangerous for hamburger not to be cooked all the way? The aim of cooking food is to kill all the bacteria on the outside of food. The reasons for cooking to a particular temperature are for the sake of flavor and safety. Most consumers prefer the meat to be pink in the middle because of the flavor. However, in the case of hamburgers, it is necessary for it to be cooked all the way for safety purposes. In making of hamburger though, you use ground meat. This translates all the inside meat is turned into outside meat. This way you touch all the previously inside meat on the outside. If this hamburger is not stored in good conditions therefore, the bacteria may replicate making the hamburger potentially dangerous for consumption.
Scenario 2
Martha’s case in scenario 2 is that of food poisoning due to poor handling and storage of leftover food. Leftover food could get contaminated if it stays exposed at danger zone temperatures for a long time. Martha waited for the lasagna to cool before she could place it in the fridge. This time allowed bacteria a lot of time for replication. This could have been prevented had Martha found a way to reduce the time the lasagna was exposed or cooling it faster.
Diagnosing from the incubation period; 2-3 hours and the symptoms that began to show; stomach cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting, the likely micro-organism that was responsible for the illness was salmonella Typhimurium. This is judged on the symptoms and considering the illness was relatively short-lived. This was therefore a case of food poisoning.
Describe the temperature danger zone. Temperature danger zone describes the standard temperature for holding, storage and preparation of different types of food. The average temperature danger zone for most food is between 40 o F-140 o F. In this temperature food is vulnerable to contamination because at these temperatures the bacteria can replicate and if they replicate for a long time then the food is contaminated.
How could Martha have sped up the cooling process of lasagna? In this case Martha could not place the lasagna in the refrigerator because it was still too hot to be put in the refrigerator. Martha could have sped the cooling process though to make sure the lasagna does not stay in danger zone temperatures for a long time. Dividing the large amounts of food into smaller containers could help speed up cooling. Smaller portions of food will cool faster in the refrigerator as compared to large amounts of food.
How did leftover lasagna still lead to food-borne illness even after thorough reheating? In any case the lasagna was left for a long time in danger zone temperatures, (which it was) the bacteria replicate and releases toxins that are heat stable. The bacteria will therefore still be active even after reheating. The lasagna therefore still had been contaminated by being exposed therefore causing illness.
Scenario 3.
What could be the cause of Sally and her family members’ illness?
Sally and her family could have fallen ill due to food poisoning. Sally, like most food consumers, had poor food handling and preparing practices. Campylobacter infection, most likely in the case of Sally, is rapidly becoming a common food-borne illness. Its cause is poor handling and cross-contamination of raw chicken. Sally’s family seems to have gotten the illness through bacterium campylobacter whose symptoms are visible after Sally and her family fall sick.
The illness on Sally’s family could have been prevented though with proper knowledge on food handling practices especially raw chicken. The cutting boards used could also have been properly cleaned with detergents or anti-bacterial sprays. In the situation Sally left the chunks of chicken in the marinade on the counter for 3 hours, she should have placed them in the refrigerator to minimize contamination given the time it was exposed at danger zone temperatures.(Hoelzel et al.,2013)
Despite the fact that surveys show a majority of food consumers has poor food handling, preparation and storage techniques, many households can improve these practices if they are made aware of the danger they pose. A survey for example shows that the adults preferred the meat that is pink in the middle but could not take the same risk with their children. This shows that despite the ignorance food consumers have; you can still instill knowledge on them about proper food handling practices.
References
Redmond E.C. and Griffith C.J.(2003) Journal of food Protection. Retrieved from www.jfoodprotection.org/doi/abs/10.4315/0362-028X-66.1.130
