Yes – Mother’s Day is on Sunday! Be sure to thank mom for her part in making you who you are today. If you are someone who is mindful of safe food practices, then it’s a good bet Mom stressed good hygiene at home. You prolly were told a number of good things to do or bad things not to do: wash up before meals, cough into your sleeve, use the utensils, don’t eat food that fell on the floor, touch ONLY the item you will take, don’t drink out of the milk carton, and wash your hands WITH SOAP after using the bathroom or petting the dog/cat. It IS hard to follow all of these practices all of the time unless they are part of your routine; habits you learned early on. Thanks Mom, your guidance paid off!
Food handling, Food preparation
One of the hit TV shows this year is the new comedy Two Broke Girls. The setting for much of the shows is the diner where both girls work as waitresses – complete with old time uniforms, booths, order pads, etc. While I have enjoyed some of the zingy conversations, the scenes in the restaurant dining area and kitchen have been so disturbing, I can’t watch the show anymore. What’s my problem? Well, the girls’ attire bothers me – both wear their hair down so it swishes across the food; they wear nail polish and necklaces; and they don’t wash their hands (and plenty of times they should do so!). The scenes in the kitchen are worse. Part of the “humor” is based on the slovenly cook. This cook is the poster child (billboard child?) for POOR PERSONAL HYGIENE (in caps to illustrate how bad it is). His actions are worse – ranging from food handling to girlfriend handling in the food prep areas. I realize not all food places are textbook cases – yes, there are some glitches. But the blatant lack of any attention to how things should be done is bothersome. And sadly, this show reaches a lot of people. My advice to the Two Broke Girls: Go ahead and pursue your cupcake company dream but PLEASE, take a food safety course!
Food handling, Food preparation
Spring seems to kick off a lot of informal entertaining with friends and family. Pot luck get-togethers are pretty typical, which can be a really good thing as no one person is stuck with pulling together the entire meal (along with snacks and beverages). Pot lucks often turn out to be intergenerational mixers so some caution is needed when preparing your dish. It is estimated about 25% of the U.S. population is considered at risk. At risk folks are those whose immune systems are compromised in some way for various reasons; thus, they are more susceptible to contracting a food borne illness or experiencing worse symptoms than healthy young adults. At risk people are identified as those under age of 9 or over the age of 60, those who are pregnant, and those with chronic disease or debilitating illness. This estimate is prolly mirrored in your own family situation. At a recent family event, we had even a greater proportion; of the 12 people there, 6 could be classified as at risk – mainly due to us getting older! But I was still nervous – I would hate to be the one who caused my family to get sick from a food dish that I had prepared. So, what precautions should be taken? Well, certain foods should not be consumed, such as cold luncheon meats (particularly this applies to pregnant women) or undercooked eggs. Otherwise, simply being mindful of how and when you prepare the food – use fresh foods, wash your hands frequently, follow recipe instructions, keep hot food hot and cold food cold, and avoid cross contamination between dirty and clean utensils, containers and surfaces.
Food preparation, Uncategorized
Unless you’ve been living in a cave the last month, you have undoubtedly heard of the uproar over the use of lean finely textured beef (LFTB), aka pink slime (BTW, I am not using that phrase anymore – while very colorful, no pun intended, it portrays this safe product in a negative way and I am not going to add to the noise). The old saying about “names can never hurt me” has certainly backfired in this case. On line petitions, referred to by one blogger as an “e-mob” have led to wide discussions and outrage over the use of ammonium hydroxide processing of beef trimmings, which has been in use for many years. Yet, someone got agitated which led to the current situation. I just wonder if all those who are agitated truly understand the issue, or just reacting to the name. It is ironic to me that there was such a hullaballoo when the Food Safety Modernization Act was passed with assurances that science would aid in improving safety of the food supply, yet just over a year later, the wide publicity of a science that does indeed improve the safety of food is challenged. The use of ammonium hydroxide is not limited to beef trimmings. The World Health Organization has approved use in hundreds of products; it is also currently used in baked goods, cheeses, and chocolates. To me, there is no question this processing practice is safe. Better yet, it enables full utilization of a valuable protein source. With food security a concern for so many people, why object? And why object ONLY for use on this type of food? During my last trip to the grocery store I saw lots of chocolate in shoppers’ baskets. My Easter baskets will contain chocolate, no doubt processed with this technology and the Sunday paper ads were full of special chocolates. Where are the e-petitions for these products?
Uncategorized
Pick an airport, any airport, in the U.S. of A. and I think you would agree it is a pretty safe environment. Making it past security is usually the biggest challenge of any travel – assuming planes are on time, you snare overhead baggage space, and you don’t get food poisoning! The chance of the latter happening struck me while traveling this last week – during spring break rush. The irony was clear: the safe and secure physical environment in contrast with risk of eating food contaminated by a food court worker not knowing or choosing not to follow safe food handling practices. Travelers undergo very thorough security checks but how is safe food preparation monitored? Best advice is to be alert and take precautions: wash your hands before you eat, be sure hot foods are hot and cold foods cold, and packaged products are within sell by or expiration date. Happy trails and safe travels.
Food preparation
Sustainability does seem to be the new “it” word- everyone and every food company is all about sustainability. But, what does it mean? Some definitions generally refer to not having the production of the food cause harm (the good stewardship model) or considering dimensions of environmental (including animal welfare), economic, and social. So, a food producer (that would be a farmer, a small company, or a multi-national agribusiness operation) that uses practices that leave the land worse off, or fails to produce value or return to economies, or exploits human resources is not sustainable. Achieving this hat trick is difficult. And it is difficult for consumers and retail buyers to get the big picture view of where and how the food is produced and verify claimed practices are followed. Certification programs do help but remember these are focused on a single dimension. Food company mission statements supported by written policies which drive food item specifications provide written vision and structure for those in the company and external audiences. Some companies have developed scorecards as a way of balancing the multi-facets of sustainability. Good for them for documenting decision making processes. My concern is there is a lot of good and bad information that is available and used in development of these scorecards. (Simply google the word food sustainability and a salad bowl of information and opinions in the guise of fact appear). As a buyer – for home or retail, ask questions, ask for documentation and ask for verification about the product source and production practices. In the current sustainability crazed market, the best advice is Caveat emptor, Latin for “Let the buyer beware”.
Food production
There have been quite a few news articles recently about raw milk. Some have focused on recent outbreaks of Campylobacter from farms in Pennsylvania (count of those ill now up to 77) while recent articles have covered the breaking story of outbreaks from a state-licensed raw milk dairy in California. Campylobacter is an infectious disease that can cause serious gastric problems and in some cases can be life-threatening, particularly among children and others with compromised immune systems. Raw milk is promoted by advocates as being more nutritious and wholesome; their claim is pasteurization “corrects” unhygienic practices of farmers who take shortcuts. Raw milk is not organic milk or milk from cattle that have not been treated with rbST (although that may be the case); rather it is simply milk that hasn’t been pasteurized. The process of pasteurization is a flash heating to kill harmful bacteria that may be present in the milk.
The FDA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and many scientists caution against consumption of raw milk. In fact one scientist said serving raw milk to children is a form of child abuse. The majority of states allow widespread sales while about 22 only allow direct sales to consumers or on-farm purchases. At last count (it does change each legislative session) about 15 states did not allow the sale at all; Iowa, my home state is one of these. However, there currently is a bill before our legislature to allow farm sales of raw milk. What’s my view? Even as a person who doesn’t think government should be overly involved in personal decision making, I do not support the current proposal. Why? Well, about 20 – 25% of the population is considered at risk, meaning they are more susceptible to a food borne illness. There is limited and controversial evidence to support the nutritional advantages. Bottom line, I think public health officials have sifted through the science and come to the conclusion the risks aren’t worth the perceived benefits. As a mom, a dietitian, and someone familiar with food safety issues, I am surprised at those who ignore the evidence and the tragic stories of those who have become ill from this decision (or, more sadly, a decision made for them). I don’t see any drawback to drinking pasteurized milk. Pasteurization is a process that makes the product safer so what is the downside? What will the decision be in Iowa? I’ll keep you posted.
Food production
This is a basic philosophical question – is a “stick” approach better than use of the “carrot” to bring about safe food practices farm to fork? The Food Safety Modernization Act has many new initiatives to enhance the safety of our food supply, including increased monitoring of imported foods and proposed standards for fresh produce. One year after signing of the FSMA, FDA report indicated fresh produce standards were still in development, primarily driven by need to hear from farmers and balance the “regulate or educate” approach – which is appropriate given the increasingly high numbers of farmers’ markets and CSAs and interest in local foods. Will more regulations actually solve the problem – many of the incidents that have occurred happened because of a glitch in procedures already on the books. And, as every parent knows, you can’t monitor everyone 100% of the time. Will raising awareness about food safety issues and improving knowledge about correct “how to’s” when handling food make a difference? I hope so. When I teach food safety classes, both to retail operators and to consumers volunteering at food stands, there is usually some push back from someone along the lines of “ what’s wrong with thawing meats on the counter for a few hours?” or “seriously, I can’t wash my hands all the time”. Using the “carrot approach” and raising awareness that recommended practices are recommended for a reason is an integral part of behavior change. Regulations help reinforce the importance of these. Monitoring that recommended practices and regulations are followed is up to the person in charge; but face it, the “stick” in the form of inspection, and consequences is needed. Bottom line, ensuring food safety is not an either/or question: a multi-ingredient recipe including some carrots and some sticks is needed.
Food handling, Food preparation, Food production
Yes – there are a number of certification programs available through third parties.
These are not all dedicated to ensuring safety of the food. Fair Trade (used for coffee quite frequently) is a program focused on worker conditions while the Food Alliance has a focus on environmental impact of farming. Some of the third parties are government agencies. For example, the USDA has a Certified Organic Program and a GAPs (Good Agriculture Practices) program in place. The Certified Organic Program focus is on ensuring that product production does not include use of inorganic materials and chemicals. While the standards protect safety of product, the program itself is not about food safety. GAPS certification means the farm has been audited and the practices as documented meet the requirements. (Sidebar: Keep in mind there are currently not a lot of government requirements for small to medium size farms that grow and sell direct fresh produce items but as a result of the Food Safety Modernization Act, FDA is developing standards for larger producer growers and processors). There are third party GAPs programs. In fact Jensen Farms, the source of the cantaloupe in the multi-state outbreak of listeria in late September 2011, used one of these. A Congressional House report has been issued about this outbreak with some interesting findings coming to light. Some of these pertain to use of a third party company, such as missing or failing to prioritize important food safety deficiencies; lack of any regulatory authority and failure to report identified problems to any regulatory authority; not ensuring that identified problems were resolved; providing advance notice of site visits; spending only a short period of time on-site and multiple conflicts of interest. The particular third party company used had a policy of only deducting points from the total score if regulations (must do’s) were not in place, rather than also deducting when industry guidance or best practices (should do’s) were not followed. What is the take away? What does your crystal ball tell you will be the reaction?
Food production
Interesting, isn’t it, that one word can influence our thinking? Take the word certified – if you see that someone or something is certified, aren’t you more inclined to think this has been approved? Of course you are, because third party certification is intended to do that – have outside experts ascertain that a person or product has met specific standards in terms of quality or safety. Where it gets confusing are the details about the certification. Who are the third parties? Do the certifying third parties or their representative possess the requisite knowledge or skills to determine whether established standards and best practice are met? Are the processes used to ascertain that the knowledge or product meets the identified standards aligned with the stated outcomes? That can be another blog topic. But understand there is a lot of confusion – ask the questions.
Certification can be a good thing. But keep in mind the difference between “certification”’ and a “certificate”. A certificate may be one given upon completion of a workshop but without any demonstration of learned knowledge or skills required by the certificate holder. And of course, the research literature cites many studies in which the “gap” between knowledge and behavior is shown. (My own mea culpa is that as a registered dietitian, I kinda know that a lot of chocolate is not a good thing, but my behavior does not reflect that knowledge).
In the retail foodservice world, there are a few certification programs that are approved by the Conference on Food Protection and, can be the provider of a certificate in safe food handling and cleaning and sanitizing. These providers are identified specifically in a requirement by Food Code that someone at each operation hold a food safety certification. (Of course, the language is a bit more complex – I have edited this down). Some states require a certification program for all food handlers or some type of food handlers’ card. Maybe there is a test, maybe not. But as an educator, I have a built in bias that knowledge never hurts – and it is the foundation for behaviors.
Uncategorized
