Ch 2. Forms of Contamination Flashcards
What is the most common way people contaminate food?
- Don’t wash hands after using the restroom aka the fecal-oral route of contamination
What are microorganisms? What are pathogens? What is the definition of toxin?
- def: tiny creatures
- pathogens are microorganisms that can make people sick, aka germs
- toxin: poison made by some pathogens that CANNOT be killed by cooking
What are the symptoms of food borne illness? What is an onset time?
- vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fever, abdominal pain
- rarely jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes)
- onset time: how long it takes for symptoms to appear after eating the contaminated food, ranges from 30mins to 6 weeks
What are the 4 types of biological contaminants?
- bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi
What are the 6 major types of bacteria, viruses, parasites and molds that are highly contagious?
- shigella spp
- salmonella typhi
- nontyphoidal salmonella
- E-coli
- Hepatitis A
- norovirus
What are the 6 conditions that allow bacteria to grow? (FATTOM)
- Food: specifically need carbs or protein
- Acidity: little to no acid
- Temperature: grows best in the temperature danger zone (41-135 deg)
- Time: at least 4 hrs for bacteria to grow to an unsafe level
- Oxygen: many bacteria need oxygen, some and grow without it
- Moisture: need high level moisture, at least .85 water activity or above
What is the source, linked foods, and prevention of non-typhoidal salmonella?
- source: farm animals
- foods: poultry, eggs, meats, produce
- prevention: cooking food to correct temperatures
What is the source, linked foods, and prevention of shigella?
- Source: human feces
- foods: those commonly touched by hands or flies
- prevention: hand washing and controlling flies inside and outside the facility
What is the source, linked foods, and prevention of salmonella typhi?
- Source: people
- foods: ready to eat foods and beverages
- prevention: hand washing
What is the source, linked foods, and prevention of E-coli?
- Source: intestine of cattle
- foods: ground beef and produce
- prevention: cooking food to correct temperatures and purchasing food from a safe source
How do viruses differ from bacteria? What is the best way to prevent their spread?
- require a host to grow (human or animal)
- transferred through food and can still be infectious on any surface for a long period of time
- cooking DOES NOT kill viruses
- best method of prevention is through hygiene
What is the source, linked foods, and prevention of Hepatitis A?
- Source: human feces
- foods: ready to eat foods and shellfish
- prevention: wash hands, don’t touch food with bare hands, purchase shellfish from approved source
What is the source, linked foods, and prevention of norovirus (food poisoning)?
- source: human feces
- foods: ready to eat foods and shellfish
- wash hands, don’t touch food with bare hands, purchase shellfish from approved source
What are parasites? How do we prevent them?
- usually infect wild animals including fish and game
- don’t typically infect our meat poultry bc feed is treated
- cooking and freezing kills parasites
- best prevention is always buy from approved supplied
What are the 3 types of fungi? What conditions will they grow? Prevention?
- types: yeast, mold, mushrooms
- will grow in foods other microorganisms won’t like low water activity and high acidity
- discard food with fungus
- always buy from approved supplier
What are biological toxins? What 2 toxins are commonly associated with fish?
- comes from natural poisonous things in an environment (ex. poisonous plants algae)
- Scombroid toxin and ciguatera toxin
- important to buy from approved supplier so ensure food didn’t come from unsafe place
How do you respond to an outbreak?
- Gather information
- Notify authorities
- segregate product
- document information
- identify staff
- cooperate with authorities
- review procedures
What are chemical contaminants? What is toxic metal poisoning?
- certain types of metal have poisonous chemicals
- copper, pewter, lead, zinc can have a chemical reaction with acid or acidic food
- the reaction can leech toxins from the metal and into the food: toxic metal poisoning
What is physical contamination? Prevention?
- foreign objects that don’t belong in food
- bones, metal shavings, glass
- prevention: inspect food and purchase from approved supplier
What is ALERT?
- created by FDA to prevent deliberate food contamination
- Assure: make sure product is from safe source
- Look: monitor security of the products in your facility
- Employees: know who is in your facility
- Report: keep info related to food defense accessible
- Threat: develop a plan for responding to threats or suspicious activity
What is a food allergy? What are the symptoms? What are the most common food allergens? What is cross contact? Prevention?
- Def: being sensitive to specific proteins in a food
- symptoms: hives, rashes, swelling
- anaphylaxis: severe reaction, body shutdown, can cause death
- allergens: milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, crustaceans, wheat
- cross contact: allergen comes in contact with and mixed into food the allergic person eats, can be through equipment, gloves, fryer oil
- ## prevention: suggest simple items, know ingredients, hand deliver food
