Food Safety

Question 1

The federal government sets standards and establish regulations for:

Answer 1

• safe handling of food and water

- information included on food labels

Question 2

What is the food and drug act?

Answer 2

outlines proper and safe import, export, transport, and sale of food products across Canada

Question 3

What do Health Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations do?

Answer 3

provide specific regulations that keep our food safe

Question 4

What is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency?

Answer 4

- Federal body that regulates use of additives, packaging materials, and
agricultural chemicals
- Inspects food processing and storage facilities
- Monitors domestic and imported foods for contamination
- Investigates outbreaks of food-borne illness
- Monitors food at different points in the supply chain, from where food is
grown to where it is sold

Question 5

What is Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)?

Answer 5

• A food safety system
•  Required for food manufacturers, processors, and distributors
•  Analyzes food production, processing, and transport
•  Goal: identifies potential sources of contamination and points where measures can be taken to prevent contamination
•  Monitors these critical control points

Question 6

What are the 7 steps of HACCP?

Answer 6

• conduct a hazard analysis
• identify the critical control points
• establish critical limits
• establish monitoring procedures
• establish corrective action
• record keeping
• verification procedures

Question 7

What happened in 1996 Scotland?

Answer 7

• E. coli found in deli meats from butcher
• 400 ill, 21 dead
• using same knives to handle raw and cooked meat

Question 8

What happened with XL Foods Alberta?

Answer 8

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued an alert that the products may be contaminated with E. coli
• plant shut down for nearly a month
• massive recall

Question 9

Define food borne infection.

Answer 9

• caused by pathogens that multiply in the human body
• Usually from consumption of a large number of pathogens that cause
  infection or produce toxins in the body

Question 10

Define food borne intoxication.

Answer 10

• caused by consuming food containing toxins produced by pathogens
• Can be caused by food containing only a few pathogens if they have
  produced enough toxin

Question 11

What is the most common cause of food borne illness in Canada?

Answer 11

salmonella bacteria

Question 12

Name some common sources of salmonella.

Answer 12

- poultry and eggs are the foods most commonly
contaminated
- contaminated meat
- dairy products
- seafood
- fresh produce
- cereal

Question 13

How can we prevent salmonella?

Answer 13

killed by heat; thoroughly cook foods likely to

be contaminated

Question 14

What is the leading cause of acute bacterial diarrhea in developed countries?

Answer 14

campylobacter jejuni bacteria

Question 15

Name common sources of campylobacter jejuni bacteria.

Answer 15

• undercooked chicken
• unpasteurized milk
• untreated water

Question 16

How can we prevent campylobacter jejuni bacteria?

Answer 16

• grows slowly in cold temperatures and is killed by heat

- carefully store and thoroughly cook foods likely to be contaminated

Question 17

Some ____ strains are harmless; others can cause serious food borne infection.

Answer 17

E. coli

Question 18

E. coli O157:H7 produces a toxin causing…

Answer 18

• abdominal pain
• bloody diarrhea
• fatal kidney failure

Question 19

Name some common sources of E. coli.

Answer 19

fecal contamination of water or food (example: meats and produce)

Question 20

How do we prevent E. coli?

Answer 20

thoroughly cook foods likely to be contaminated, wash raw produce

Question 21

Name sources of botulism.

Answer 21

• acid prevents the germination of Clostridium botulinum spores
• foods that are low in acid

Question 22

How can we prevent botulism?

Answer 22

• discard bulging cans

- cook foods for at least 10 minutes

Question 23

What are noroviruses?

Answer 23

group of viruses

Question 24

What do noroviruses cause?

Answer 24

• gastroenteritis (“stomach flu”)

- infection spreads easily from one person to another

Question 25

Name some common sources of noroviruses.

Answer 25

• eating food contaminated with virus or touching
  contaminated surface and then putting fingers in mouth
• shellfish can be
  contaminated in water polluted with feces

Question 26

How can we prevent noroviruses?

Answer 26

cooking destroys noroviruses

Question 27

What does Hep A cause?

Answer 27

• liver inflammation
• jaundice
• fever
• nausea
• fatigue
• abdominal pain
• can require months of recovery but does not require treatment nor
  cause permanent liver damage

Question 28

What are parasites?

Answer 28

organisms that live at the expense of others

Question 29

How can we prevent parasites?

Answer 29

• killed by thorough cooking

- if raw fish is consumed, parasitic infections can be avoided by eating fish that has been frozen

Question 30

Prion is short for:

Answer 30

proteinaceous infectious particle

Question 31

What are prions?

Answer 31

Pathogenic protein that causes deadly, degenerative brain diseases such
as spongiform encephalopathies

Question 32

What is Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)?

Answer 32

deadly neurodegenerative disease in cattle

Question 33

Name symptoms of mad cow disease.

Answer 33

mood swings and numbness progressing to dementia and death

Question 34

Most cases of food borne illness are caused by

Answer 34

food prepared at home

Question 35

How can we practice food safety?

Answer 35

• never mix cooked and raw meat
• don’t marinate raw and cooked meat with same sauce
• heat foods to recommended temperatures
• cooked foods kept hot until served
• refrigerate cooked food ASAP
• leftovers only kept for a few days
• store food in refrigerator or freezer