A case in point

A restaurant manager received a call from a customer who had purchased a take-out pizza from his restaurant the previous night. The customer told him that her children, ages three and five, suffered from abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and fever, and claimed that the pizza had made them sick. The manager asked her whether anyone else ate the pizza and whether they had the same symptoms. She told him that her husband had eaten it, but felt fine. The manager then asked her what kind of pizza she ordered, and was told that it contained mushrooms, black olives, and extra cheese. The manager told her it couldn't possibly have been the pizza that made the children sick since it contained no meat and her husband was healthy. He suggested that her children had the stomach flu, wished them well, and hung up.

Did the manager handle this situation correctly? What did he do right? What did he do wrong?

Discussion questions

1. What is the difference between a foodborne illness and a foodborne illness outbreak?

2. What are the potential costs associated with foodborne-illness outbreaks?

3. Why are the elderly at higher risk for contracting foodborne illnesses?

4. What are the three major types of hazards to food safety?

5. A chef cuts up a salmon on a cutting board, then thoroughly rinses the cutting board and knife in warm water. She then uses the same cutting board and knife to slice fresh parsley. Is this an acceptable foodhandling practice? Why or why not? On what key food safety practice does this example focus?

Multiple-choice study questions

1. Why do elderly people have a higher risk of contracting a foodborne illness?

A. They are more likely to spend time in a hospital.

B. Their immune systems are likely to be weaker than those of younger people.

C. Their allergic reactions to chemicals used in food production might be greater than younger people.

D. They are likely to have diminished appetites and do not want to cook for themselves.

2. Which type of food would be the most likely to cause a foodborne illness?

A. Tomato juice B. Cooked rice

C. Stored whole-wheat flour D. Dry powdered milk

3. Your restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. Tuesday morning you open the restaurant and notice that the refrigerator is not running. When you check the thermometer inside, it reads 50°F (10°C). What should you do with the fresh ground beef in the refrigerator?

A. Cook and serve it within two hours.

B. Freeze it right away.

C. Discard it.

D Rechill it immediately to 4l°F (5°C) or lower.

4. Which of the following is not a common characteristic of potentially hazardous food items?

A. They are moist.

B. They are dry.

C. They are neutral or slightly acidic.

4. They are high in protein.

5. When a foodborne illness occurs, it is usually caused by one of three factors. These factors are:

A. Time-temperature abuse, poor personal hygiene, and physical hazards

B. Time-temperature abuse, chemical hazards, and physical hazards

C. Time-temperature abuse, cross-contamination, and chemical hazards

D. Time-temperature abuse, cross-contamination, and poor personal hygiene

6. In order for a foodborne illness to be considered an "outbreak," how many people must experience the illness after eating the same food?

A. 1 B. 2 C. 10 D. 20

7. The largest threat to food safety comes from which of the following hazards?

A. Pesticides C. Microorganisms

B. Hair D. Food additives

8. To prevent cross-contamination, foodhandlers should not

A. Touch raw meat and then touch cooked or ready-to-eat food.

B. Allow food to remain at temperatures above 4l °F (5 °C).

C. Check food temperatures when receiving food.

D. Hold food at temperatures below 140 °F (60 °C).

9. Foodhandlers must practice all of the following hygienic practices except

A. Proper handwashing.

B. Daily bathing.

C. Wearing clean clothing to work.

D. Getting periodic AIDS tests.

Unit 2