Food Safety, a Concern for All

Food: loved by all, necessary for survival, and fundamental to agriculture. The CDC estimates 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths are attributable to foodborne illness annually, or one in six Americans fall ill every year due to failure of the food safety monitoring system. If you have an unexplained bout of upset stomach, it likely could be a result of the ingestion of contaminated food.

Food safety in the U.S. began after Upton Sinclair brought issues of the Chicago meat packing plants to light in his 1906 novel The Jungle. Modern food safety resulted from the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak that lead to 178 illnesses and 4 child mortalities following the ingestion of under cooked contaminated hamburgers.

Do you hear about more food recalls in the news today than you remember hearing about ten years ago? Many issued recalls are voluntary, meaning they are issued as a precaution. Tracing of pathogens allows for the determination of problematic agents. As technology improves, scientists are able to less contamination in a shorter amount of time. However, strides to detect disease causing agents in mere hours must be made in order to protect the producer and consumer. Enhanced technology needs to allow for the tracing of the agent back to an individual operation.

Several behaviors can be adopted by consumers regarding food safety. Washing hands, ensuring proper refrigeration temperature, cooking food to the appropriate internal temperature, holding cooked food at a high temperature, all while preparing food in a clean kitchen are important components of consumer food safety. A few of my favorite food safety tips include the following: 1) throw out leftovers after 4 days, 2) rinse produce to prevent any disease causing agent on the skin from internalizing with slicing or peeling, 3) purchase separate cutting boards for meats, produce, and ready-to-eat products, and 4) recognize that cooking with your cellphone in the kitchen can potentially introduce pathogens into the environment.

Individuals from all walks of life are affected by foodborne illness. Theoretically, foodborne illness is entirely preventable if complete control is practiced from field to plate and monitored by scientists. Investing in food safety research and surveillance programs helps consumers and producers alike, as a safe food supply from farm to table ensures a satisfied consumer, leading to a secure economy.

-Codi Jo Broten

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