ieh6

• Unsafe food can cause more than 200 different diseases
• 600 million fall ill after eating contaminated food each year resulting in 420,000 deaths
• Children < 5 years old carry 40% of foodborne disease burden → 125,000 deaths every year
• Diarrheal diseases are the most common illnesses resulting from consumption of contaminated food → 550 million fall ill and 230,000 deaths every year
• US $110 billion lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries
• Sources of food contamination

  • Complex equipment
  • Staff clothing
  • Unwashed fruits, vegetables
  • Raw meat
  • Hands
  • Equipment and utensils
  • Cleaning material
• Potential contaminants in food


  • Biological (bacteria, virus, parasites, fungi)
  • Chemical (heavy metals, pesticide residues, antibiotics, veterinary drug residues, solvent residues, chemicals, food additives)
  • Physical (staples, bandages, glass, dirt, metals)
• Cross contamination


  Physical movement or transfer of harmful substances from: Food to food, People to food, Equipment/utensil to food
• Factors encouraging foodborne pathogens growth

  • Food (foodborne microorganisms need nutrients to grow → meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs)
  • pH (bacteria grow best in neutral to slightly acidic medium 4.7-7.6)
  • Time (foodborne microorganisms need sufficient time to grow)
  • Temp (danger zone 4 to 60°C → food must be handled very carefully when it is defrosted, cooked, cooled, reheated)
  • Oxygen (some microorganisms need oxygen to grow, other don't)
  • Moisture (moisture levels in food are presented by a value called Water Activity (Aw) used as general indication of how much water is available to pathogens present in food)
• Foodborne diseases


  Caused by contamination of food, unsafe food storage and processing, Occur at any stage of the food production, delivery and consumption chain, Preventable and underreported public health problem, Common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea
• Preventive measures


  • Industries (comply with laws and standards set by the government, quality control)
  • Government (epidemiological surveillance of diseases, inspection of food, inspection of processing and storage plants, personnel training, consumer education)
  • Nutritional rules
• Keeping food safe


  • Controlling time and temperature
  • Preventing cross-contamination
  • Practicing personal hygiene
  • Purchasing from approved and reputable suppliers
  • Cleaning and sanitizing
  • Providing food safety training
  • Regular monitoring and inspections
• Become a safer shopper

  • Do not buy products that are out of date
  • Do not buy or use damaged, swollen, or rusted cans
  • Choose fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Do not buy or use cracked or unrefrigerated eggs
  • Pick up frozen and refrigerated items just before you check out at the grocery store
  • Refrigerate groceries right away and never leave perishable foods out for more than 2 hours
  • Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other items in your grocery bags
• Dining out


  • Go out to eat early to avoid large crowds
  • Avoid high-risk food sources, such as salad bars, buffets, and street food vendors
  • Do not eat raw fruits or vegetables when eating out
  • Avoid "fresh-squeezed" juices
• production

  growing the plants we harvest or raising animals we use for food. If fields are sprayed with contaminated water to fruits, vegetables
• processing

  changing plants/animals into what we recognize and buy as food. If contaminated water/ice is used to wash, pack, chill fruits/vegetables, the contamination can be spread to them
• distribution

  moving food from farm or production plant to consumer/kitchen. If refrigerated food is left on loading dock for long time in warm wether, it could allow bacteria to grow
• preparation

  getting the food ready to eat, may occur at kitchen/restaurant. If a cook uses knife to cut meat and then uses for vegetables
• bacillus cereus, clostridium botulinum

  soil and vegetables
• campylobacter

  animal/human/fowl intestine
• e.coli, salmonella

  lower intestine of human/warm blooded animal/birds
• shigella

  intestine of human/primates
• staphylococcus aureus

  skin and oropharynx
• vibrio cholerae

  human intestine
• arsenic

  soil, crops rich in arsenic water, drinking water
• lead

  vehicles exhaust in air, crops grown in contaminated air, water
• mercury

  water, tissues of fish
• cadmium

  industrial in soil, utensils, high acid food containers
• meat

  0C- 6-10 days

  22C- 1 day
• fish

  0C- 2-7 days

  22C- 1 day
• poultry

  0c- 5-18 days

  22c- 1 day
• fruits

  0c- 2-18 days

  22c- 1-29 days
• vegetables

  0c- 3-20 days

  22c- 1-7 days
• root crops

  0c- 90-300 days

  22c- 7-5 days
• fresh fruit, meat, milk

  0.95
• cheese

  0.9-0.85
• margarine

  0.9-0.85
• salted meats

  0.85-0.8
• jam

  0.8-0.75
• nuts

  0.75-0.65