Food Safety Flashcards
What are the two main types of food-borne illness?
Biological and chemical
What are examples of biological causes of food-borne illness?
Pathogenic microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, prions, parasites)
What are examples of chemical causes of food-borne illness?
Pesticides, natural toxins, additives
List the causative agents of food-borne illness from most number to least number of cases.
Unknown cause, viral, bacterial, chemical, parasite
What are some ways food-borne illnesses can be spread?
can be naturally present in livestock, meat/poultry can be contaminated during slaughter, fresh fruit/veg can be contaminated by washing/irrigation, food handlers can transmit disease, cross-contamination from knives/cutting boards/utensils
How does the Human Food Network relate to food-borne illness?
the more steps require between planting a crop and it reaching a consumer, the more chances there are for contamination
What are two reasons that we don’t know the cause of half of all food-borne illnesses?
1) many steps to go through between exposure of population and CDC being notified, unlikely that they will all be followed through with
2) people may not know what they ate, so it can be hard to know where they picked up the disease
What is the Delaney Clause?
Prohibits use in food of any ingredient shown to cause cancer in animals or humans
Why are some carcinogenic substances still in foods? (in regards to Delaney Clause)
FDA has discretion in labeling something a carcinogen, EPA can approve tolerance level for pesticides if there is a negligible risk
List 4 examples of bacteria that cause food-borne illness.
Salmonella, C. botulinum, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni
List 2 examples of viruses that can cause food-borne illness.
Hepatitis A, noroviruses
What disease is caused by Salmonella? What are its symptoms?
Salmonellosis; causes acute GI distress, potential for chronic arthritic-like symptoms
What are sources of salmonella (how is it spread? by what foods?)
Associated with meat, eggs, dairy, peanut butter, cookie dough
Occurs widely in wild/domestic animals, surfaces touched by raw meat, water can be contaminated
What disease is caused by C. botulinum? What are the symptoms?
Botulism; paralysis that is generally reversible (due to potent neurotoxin it produces)
What conditions are necessary for C. botulinum to grow? How can it be killed?
Anaerobic; use of chlorination and high heat cooking
What foods are associated with botulism?
canned foods w/ low acid content, honey, fermented fish, homemade salsa, baked potatoes cooked in aluminum foil
What is the characteristic symptom of E. coli? What complication can it lead to?
Bloody diarrhea; hemolytic uremic syndrome
What was the culprit for the 1993 E. coli outbreak? What was the outcome?
Jack-in-the-Box hamburgers that were undercooked; meat was recalled, 4 children died, hundreds were sickened, led to FDA/USDA raising internal temp of cooked hamburgers to 155 degrees Fahrenheit
How is E. coli spread?
Fecal contamination
What type of illness is Campylobacter jejuni associated with?
the stomach flu
What foods are associated with C. jejuni?
uncooked/poorly processed chicken, raw milk
How is Hepatitis A transmitted?
Contaminated food and water; often spread by HAV infected workers in food processing plants/restaurants
What foods are commonly associated with hepatitis A?
fruits, sandwiches made with cold cuts, dairy products, vegetables, shellfish
What is the reason for the drop in infection rates of Hepatitis A?
Vaccination
What does norovirus cause?
The stomach flu, cruise ship illness
How is norovirus transmitted?
Eating food/drinking liquid that are contaminated with norovirus, touching surfaces or object contaminated w/ norovirus & then putting hand in mouth, or person-person contact w/ ill person
What are prions?
Non-living, non-viral infectious agent; ex. mad cow
What chemical agents cause disease?
Pesticides, combustion products, heavy metals
What can you do to avoid food-borne illness?
frequently wash hands, cook foods to appropriate temperature, refrigerate properly, etc.
What are four factors that affect microbial growth?
Temperature, moisture content, pH, nutrient availability
What are organic foods?
emphasis on renewable resources, conservation of soil and water, animals not given growth hormone/antibiotics, don’t use most conventional pesticides or fertilizers made w/ synthetic ingredients/sewage sludge/bioengineering/ ionizing radiation
get USDA approval
What are the pros of organic food?
Less pesticide exposure (proven), maybe more nutritious (but this isn’t proven)
What are the cons of organic food?
might be expensive, hard to get for some people
What are the key sources of mercury in food?
Main source is shellfish/fish; particularly dangerous due to bioaccumulation
What is bioaccumulation?
Smaller fish get eaten by bigger fish, which get eaten by bigger fish, etc.; Each level of the food chain gets more toxic
What are the adverse affects of mercury poisoning?
Infants/fetuses: neurotoxic
Adults: lack of coordination, impaired vision/ speech/ hearing/ walking, muscle weakness
What is a GMO?
Genetically modified organism; produced by combining genes from different organisms
What are the advantages of GMOs?
Can give crops traits like insect resistance or increased nutrient value; for animals it can speed up growth
What are the disadvantages of GMOs?
concerns include: new allergens in food, creation of herbicide resistant weeds, spread of disease across species barriers, disturbance of ecological balance, inevitable side-effect that can’t be contaminated
What does HCA stand for?
Heterocyclic amine
What are HCAs?
mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures
What factors affect concentrations of HCA?
cooking temp, method & duration, type of meat, type and levels of precursors
What is the main route of exposure for HCA?
Ingestion of cooked meat (inhalation is possible though)
What does PAH stand for?
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
What are PAHs?
potent mutagens and carcinogens produced from incomplete combustion?
What are the dietary sources of PAH?
grilled foods (including plants), contaminated grains and produce, vegetable oils
What factors affect exposure?
cooking method, doneness, degree of charring, proximity to heat source, fat content
