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
