FEATURE STORIES | MARCH 2008

Preventing Foodborne Illness

By Laurence D. Edelman, CSP, CPCU

Have you ever awakened with a rumbling, bloated feeling accompanied by painful cramps and waves of nausea? These symptoms often are signs of food poisoning. Usually associated with eating bad food in restaurants, food poisoning is just as likely to be caused by tainted store-bought raw or prepared foods, or poor food preparation and clean-up practices in the home.

While the food supply in the United States is one of the safest in the world, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that foodborne illness annually causes more than 76 million Americans to become sick, some 300,000 to be hospitalized, and more than 5,000 to die. Complications from bad food are especially dangerous to small children, the elderly, and people suffering from diseases or other debilitating illnesses because of impaired or underdeveloped immune systems.

It seems we are continuously bombarded by news stories exposing unscrupulous livestock and feedlot operators, mad cow disease, bacterial contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables, salmonella, and now, widespread contamination of potable drinking-water supplies. There is no question that preventing foodborne illness is a major health challenge, but what can be done?

Preventing Foodborne Illness at Home

Exposure to foodborne illness can be significantly reduced by regularly practicing a few simple steps when shopping for and preparing meals at home.

Buying Food

• Be careful when buying any raw foods, especially fish. If fish imparts a strong, "fishy" odor, has an oily or glazed surface, and/or a "cloudy" eye, it is not fresh and may be spoiled. Do not eat shellfish imparting an unpleasant odor. Discard it.
  
  
• Buy raw meats and fish only from reputable markets or dealers. Avoid roadside stands or mail order products unless you can verify quality.
  
  
• Inspect the food sellers' premises to see that they are immaculate, insect- and pest-free, and have no unpleasant odors.
  
  
• Verify that food vendors provide care and cooking suggestions and instructions for all food items they offer.

Preparing Food

• Thoroughly wash all raw vegetables and fruit prior to consuming and/or cooking. Even raw foods that are organic, prepackaged, or labeled as washed and ready to eat should be thoroughly washed.
  
  
• Cook all foods at the recommended temperatures for the recommended length of time.
  
  
• Rinse all meats and fish before cooking to remove surface bacteria, blood, and excess surface oil that can harbor bacteria and pathogens.
  
  
• Refrigerate as soon as recommended any foods that have been cooked (most foods require a cooling period before exposure to storage temperatures).
  
  
• Remember that chemicals, biological microbes, airborne bacteria, dust mites, pet dander, and old, spoiled food particles may be on your kitchen counters, utensils, dishes, and hands.

The CDC recommends that you disinfect countertops, utensils, dishes, and glasses after every meal with anti-bacterial soap, hot water, and some good old-fashioned elbow grease. Also thoroughly disinfect cutting boards, countertops, and preparation tools before use, between each application of different foods, and before storage. It is imperative that certain foods such as meat, fish, and poultry should not be cross-contaminated, especially when uncooked. Wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food, between touching different foods, and immediately after preparing food.

Preventing Foodborne Illness When Dining Out

While you can do a lot to prevent foodborne illness at home, you don't have the same control over preparation and cleanup procedures when you're dining out. There are, however, telltale signs that can warn perceptive consumers of the possibility of foodborne illness.

When you dine out, always give the restaurant or food vendor the once-over, carefully observing the following:

• The outside of the premises should be "broom-clean," free of debris and trash. Windows should be clean and insect-free.
  
  
• Inside the premises, floors, walls, and any decorations should be dirt- and dust-free. Carpets and rugs should have no observable surface dirt and/or food detritus, grease, or stains.
  
  
• Tables, chairs, booths, stools, counters, etc. should be clean, having no observable food debris.
  
  
• Dishes, cutlery, utensils, glasses, cups, etc. should be free of baked-on food, lipstick, stains, smudges, and chips and cracks. (Cracked and chipped dishes, cups, and glasses should be disposed of properly by restaurant staff.)
  
  
• Acceptable odors should be cooking aromas only, such as spices and herbs or neutral odors. Non-acceptable odors include smoky, musty, dusty, or fishy smells, chemical odors, decayed food odors, or any aroma that is irritating or otherwise unpleasant.
  
  
• Generally, restaurant personnel should appear clean, healthy, and alert. Servers and cooks should be dressed appropriately for the theme of the establishment, wearing clean clothes and shoes. Anyone who prepares or serves food should have clean hands and fingernails with no signs of cuts or open sores. All restaurant employees should be free of offensive or overpowering cologne or body odor. Hair must be appropriately clean, combed, and/or tied back.
  
  
• Food served should smell, look, and taste according to expectations and the descriptions presented in the menu or as explained by the server.

When dining at a new establishment, ask for a tour of the kitchen. This should be welcomed at appropriate times, but if management objects, consider dining elsewhere.

In many cities and counties, the health department or other government agency may conduct routine inspections and issue placards to be displayed at establishments serving food. These placards grade conformance with minimum health and food-safety standards and guide consumers in decisionmaking. If health ratings are not posted in your area, you may find results of food and restaurant inspections (including violations, closings, and fines) on your local health department's Web site.

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You can do a lot to prevent foodborne illness. Be careful and proactive when you are preparing or being served food. If any food purchased at the market, prepared at home, or served at a party or restaurant has a film (sheen) on its surface, a strange or foul odor, tastes strange, or imparts a carbonated texture on the tongue, do not eat it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laurence D. Edelman, CPCU, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), is a senior safety consultant with Warren, McVeigh & Griffin, Inc., specializing in safety and loss-prevention issues. Larry is highly experienced in developing and auditing written safety loss-prevention and crisis management programs, OSHA-compliance inspections and training, and regulatory liaison. His assignments have included safety program auditing; creating safety, environmental, and HAZMAT programs; employee training; program implementation; and a wide range of specialized safety and loss-prevention assignments. Larry can be reached at 949-752-1058.

riskVue | The webzine for risk management professionals
March 2008