I was 22, full of life, in my final year in college, everything was great and an exam was due in two days when it happened! I woke up in the middle of the night to what would be a three-day diarrhea, soup-drinking-cum-hospitalization spree. The physician said apart from my high temperature I was fine. Nothing was wrong with me but I knew I was everything but fine. Not only was I experiencing a splitting migraine, I was vomiting, running and feeling feverish. Then it hit me! My memory went wild: Two nights I had handsomely enjoyed a spice that I would now hold suspect! This is what typically happens in the many cases of food poisoning. First you consume the contaminant unknowingly, and then nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and diarrhea follow within two days of consumption. The severity of this depends on the potency of the causative organism or toxin. Fever and chills, bloody stools, dehydration and nervous system damage may accompany this. So a question to you is: How safe is your food?
Last year was a really scary one for the food industry and food safety became the third most important health issue in 2008 according to CNN. First was the Salmonella, a bacterium that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever and food borne illness, outbreak in July which recorded 1400 cases. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traced this to tomato and pepper ingredients from Mexico in fresh salsa. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that Salmonella infection had contributed to six deaths and had affected people in 43 states. What followed was the Chinese melamine, a toxic nitrogen-rich compound that records higher protein content for food when added to them, for example, milk, scare. Scores of Chinese children were infected and several died. Milk products from the country to the European Union were frozen as food safety experts were dispatched to access the extent of the situation, offer suggestions and find solutions. Products around the world ranging from infant formula to confectionery were recalled and two of the major food companies involved in the contamination went out of business. The Chinese courts sentenced two people with alleged involvement to death and imprisoned an industry executive. Just as this news died, the peanut butter scare involving contamination by Salmonella kicked in, causing several products to be removed from shelves. This is not the first time we have heard of such incidents.
Sudan 1, Sudan 4 and Butter Yellow are toxic dyes that have been used in the orient for color stability. The Dioxin scandal occurred in Belgian farms in 1999 contaminating lots of fats and oils. Dioxin contamination caused Dublin to recall all pork products from pigs slaughtered in the Republic of Ireland because ten Irish farms had recorded dioxin contamination. Olive oil scandals have also occurred in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and East and North Africa. Currently, the new frontier is bioterrorism, particularly in the case of fruits and vegetables and other minimally processed foods that are directly consumed without further processing.
So, how safe is your food?
For starters, agents that can contaminate your food can be classified into four main groups: Bacteria, Viruses, Toxins and Parasites. Each of these must be handled differently. When a person becomes sickened by any of these agents we call it a food borne illness. You can see from the foregoing that in some of the cases the situation is beyond the ordinary consumer. However, there are several steps you can take on your own to prevent a food borne illness.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has provided some guidelines to help consumers prevent food poisoning which encompasses food handling, cooking, and storage:
While shopping, keep raw meat, eggs and poultry separate from other foods. Raw foods can easily contaminate processed foods. Establishing a barrier between these two will save you a lot of headache. Egg shells may also be carriers of Salmonella.
As much as possible check the SELL BY date on the cans before you toss them in the basket/trolley. And if a package happens to be leaking or torn, never choose it. Leaking or torn packages are the easiest to pick up contaminants. When you have to buy cold foods make them your last purchase and get them home fast so you can refrigerate them.
Now let us talk about storage. The first things you want to unload and refrigerate immediately are perishable foods. Raw meat, poultry, or fish must be placed in the coldest section of your refrigerator. Though your refrigerator can slow bacteria growth, note that it does not stop it, so to be on the safe side, cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within two days. This way the initial bacteria would not be given enough time to grow and reproduce. Also check the temperature of your appliances. A refrigerator temperature of 40̊F and freezer at 0̊F will slow bacterial growth. Above this temperature you give them a field day.
When cooking food, make sure you wash your hands before and after handling raw meat and poultry. It is recommended that you sanitize your cutting boards often in a solution of one teaspoon chlorine bleach in one quart of water. And no matter what happens please do not cross-contaminate. What does that mean? Separate poultry, fish, raw meat and all their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash hands, cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water. Also do marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish. Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing. If you submerge frozen food in cold water faster thawing will occur. You can also use your refrigerator for slower thawing first after removing food from a freezer. When you have to cook meats, a meat thermometer should come in handy. For best results, cook ground meats and all cuts of fresh pork to 160̊F; ground poultry to 165̊F, beef, veal, lamb steaks, roasts and chops to 145̊F. Whole poultry should reach 180̊F in the thigh while breasts are good at 170̊F. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a more detailed list of this on their website (www.cdc.gov).
After cooking your food, temperature becomes important because the best condition for microorganisms to grow in the food is at room temperature. So maintain cold foods cold, hot ones hot and do not leave food for more than two hours. Any leftovers should be used within 4 days.
These guidelines should prevent any infections from your food. Should you encounter any episodes of food poisoning or contamination of any kind characterized by vomiting or diarrhea, avoid caffeinated, sugary or alcoholic drinks. Drink clear fluids such as Gatorade and Powerade instead. As you get better you can eat plain foods that are easily digestible by the stomach. This includes bread, potato or rice. Some over-the-counter medications can be good but generally they are not required to counter injury caused by food. Most cases of food poisoning resolve themselves and you get better after a few days. Some though can be very deadly and kill you within 6-12hours. If you have to use medications do check with a doctor.
Until then, stay safe, live well and be healthy!