The dangers of foodborne illness

Foodborne illnesses are the greatest danger to food safety. A foodborne illness is a disease carried or transmitted to people by food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a foodborne-illness outbreak as an incident in which two or more people experience the same illness after eating the same food. A foodborne-illness is confirmed When laboratory analysis shows that a specific is the source of the illness.

Each year millions of people are affected by foodborne illness, although the majority of cases are not reported and do not occur at restaurants and foodservice establishments. However, the cases that are reported and investigated help us understand some of the causes of illness, as well as what we, as restaurant and foodservice professionals, can do to control these causes in each of our establishments. The most commonly reported causes of foodborne illness are: failure to cool food properly, failure to cook and hold food at the proper temperature, and poor personal hygiene.

Fortunately, every restaurant and foodservice establishment, no matter how large or small, can take steps to ensure the safety of the food it prepares and serves to its customers.

Preventing foodborne illness

There are many challengers to preventing foodborne illness. These include high employee-turnover rates, service to an increasing number of high-risk customers, and service of potentially hazardous food. Establishing a comprehensive food safety program, however, greatly reduces the likelihood of causing foodborne illness.

Training employees in food safety. One of the challenges managers typically face is high employee-turnover rate. Preparing and serving safe food in public establishments is a serious responsibility. All restaurant and foodservice employees need to be trained in the procedures that can protect the public and themselves from foodborne illnesses.

Population at high risk for foodborne illnesses. The demographics of our population show an increase in the percentage of people of high risk of contracting a foodborne illness, sometime with serious consequences. They include:

Infants and pre-school-age children

Pregnant women

Elderly people

People taking certain medications, such as antibiotics and immunosuppressants

People with weakened immune systems (who recently had major surgery, are organ-transplant recipients, or who have pre-existing or chronic illness)

Young children are more at risk for contracting foodborne illnesses, because they have not yet built up adequate immune systems (the body’s defense system against illness) to deal with some diseases. This knowledge is especially important for quick-service restaurants since, according to a recent survey, about 55 percent of families with children eat at such restaurants at least once a week.

Elderly people are more at risk because their immune systems and resistance may have weakened with age. In addition, as people age, their senses of smell and taste are diminished, so they may be less likely to detect “off” odors or tastes, which indicate that food may be spoiled.

Food most likely to become unsafe. Although any food can become contaminated, most illnesses are transmitted through food in which microorganisms are able to grow rapidly. Such food is classified as potentially hazardous food. This food typically has a history of being involved in foodborne illness outbreaks, has a natural potential for contamination due to production and processing methods, is often moist and high in protein, and has neutral or slightly acidic pH.

The Food Code identifies potentially hazardous food as any food that consists in whole, or in part, of followings:

Milk and milk products

Shell eggs (except those treated to eliminate Salmonella)

Meats, poultry, and fish

Shellfish and edible crustacea (such as shrimps, lobster, crab)

Baked or boiled potatoes

Tofu or other soy-protein foods

Garlic-in-oil mixtures

Plant foods – including fruit and vegetables – that have been heat treated (cooked, partially cooked, or warmed)

Raw seeds and sprouts

Sliced melons

Synthetic ingredients (such as textured soy protein in meat alternatives)

Care must be taken when handling ready to eat food, which may also be considered unsafe because it is intended to be eaten without further washing or cooking. Proper cooking reduces the number of microorganisms on food to safe levels. Food that has been properly cooked is considered ready-to-eat, as is washed whole or cut fruits and vegetables.

Potential hazards to food safety. Unsafe food usually results from contamination, which is the presence of harmful substances in the food. some food safety hazards are introduced by humans or by the environment, and some occur naturally.

Food safety hazards are divided into three categories: biological hazards, chemical hazards, and physical hazards.

Biological hazards include certain bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, as well as certain plants, mushrooms, and fish that carry harmful toxins.

Chemical hazards include pesticides, food additives, preservatives, cleaning supplies, and toxic metals that leach from cookware and equipment.

Physical hazards consist of foreign objects that accidentally get into the food, such as hair, dirt, metal staples, and broken glass.

By far, biological hazards pose the greatest threat to food safety. Disease-causing microorganisms are responsible for the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks.