Consumer Concerns about Foods and Water

1. Consumer Concerns about Foods and Water Chapter 19

2. Foodborne Illnesses • Leading food-safety concern according to FDA • Number of food poisoning outbreaks • Most vulnerable populations • Foodborne infections • Food contaminated by infectious microbes • Food intoxications • Foods containing natural toxins or toxins produced by microbes

3. Common Foodborne Illnesses NOTE: Travelers’ diarrhea is most commonly caused by E. coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Shigella, and Salmonella. a. The “How To” on pp. 628–629 provides more details on the proper handling, cooking, and refrigeration of foods. b. The most serious strain is E. coli STEC 0157:H7.

4. Food Safety in the Marketplace • Transmission of foodborne illness has changed • Errors in the commercial setting • Affects many more people than in the past • Industry controls • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system • Imported foods

5. Consumer Awareness • State and local health regulations • Guidelines for cleanliness of facilities and safe preparation of food practices • Consumer actions when eating out • Improper food handling can occur anywhere on the line from manufacturer to consumer

6. Food Safety From Farm to Table

7. FARM PROCESSING TRANSPORTATION RETAIL Workers must use safe methods of growing, harvesting, sorting, packing, and storing food to minimize contamination hazards. Processors must follow FDA guidelines concerning contamination, cleanliness, and education and training of workers and must monitor for safety at critical control points. Containers and vehicles transporting food must be clean. Cold food must be kept cold at all times. Employees must follow the FDA’s food code on how to prevent foodborne illnesses. Establishments must pass local health inspections and train staff in sanitation. Stepped Art TABLE Consumers must learn and use sound principles of food safety as taught in this chapter. Be mindful that foodborne illness is a real possibility and take steps to prevent it.

8. Food Safety in the Kitchen • Keep a clean, safe kitchen • Avoid cross-contamination • Keep hot foods hot • Keep cold foods cold

9. Safe Handling of Meats and Poultry • Environment favors microbial growth • Ground meat is especially susceptible • More handling • More surface area • Cook meat thoroughly • Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

10. Meat and Poultry Safety, Grading, and Inspection Seals

11. Recommended Safe Temperatures (Fahrenheit)

12. Safe Handling of Seafood • Illnesses associated with undercooked or raw seafood • Raw oysters • Water pollution and seafood-borne illness • Other precautions • Odors

13. Safe Refrigerator Storage Times

14. Food Safety While Traveling • Traveling to other countries • Risk of contracting foodborne illness is high • Traveler’s diarrhea • Different cleanliness standards for food and water • Every region’s microbes are different • No chance to develop immunity • Precautions while traveling • Summary: “boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it”

15. Advances in Food Safety • Irradiation – “cold pasteurization” • How it protects consumers • Foods approved for irradiation • Consumer concerns about irradiation • Regulation of irradiation • FDA • Radura label • Other pasteurization systems

16. Obtaining Nutrient Information • Nutrition labeling regulations • FDA • Minimizing nutrient losses • Cooking • Storing • Preparing

17. Environmental Contaminants • Harmfulness of environmental contaminants • Depends in part on its persistence • Lingers in body or environment • Bioaccumulation • Examples of contamination • Methylmercury: Minamata, Japan, 1953 • PBB and PCB: Michigan 1973 • Interactive effects of mercury and PCB • Damaging to brain function

18. Bioaccumulation of Toxins in the Food Chain

19. Arsenic • Naturally occurring in the water, air, and soil • Arsenic-based pesticides commonly used in the United States until 1970 • Apple juice contains trace amounts of arsenic • FDA is confident low levels are safe • FDA will take action if 10 parts per billion or greater is found

20. Consumer Guidelines • FDA regulates the presence of contaminants in foods • Mercury poisoning • Fish and other seafoods • Other toxins found in fish • EPA regulates commercial fishing • Farm-raised fish • Consider potential harm versus potential benefits from nutrients

21. Natural Toxicants in Foods • Goitrogens • Thyroid enlargement • Cyanogens • Laetrile • Lima beans and fruit seeds • Solanine • Potatoes • Removed by peeling the potato

22. Pesticides • Ensure crop survival • But leave residues in the environment • Hazards of pesticides • Vulnerable populations • Regulation of pesticides • EPA and FDA • Tolerance regulations • Pesticides from other countries • Levels generally unknown

23. Monitoring Pesticides • FDA • Collects and analyzes domestic and imported foods • May invoke certification requirement • Individual state regulation • Foods in the fields • Foods on the plate • “Market Basket Survey”

24. Consumer Concerns • FDA: a monitoring agency • Sets standards • Inspects about one percent of food entering the United States • Acts promptly when problems arise • Minimizing risks • Ingestion of pesticides depends on numerous factors

25. Tips to Minimize Pesticide Residues When Shopping for Foods • Select fruits and vegetables that do not have holes. • Select a variety of foods to minimize exposure to any one pesticide. • Consider buying certified organic foods when shopping for produce most likely to be contaminated. When Preparing Foods • Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing foods. • Trim the fat from meat, and remove the skin from poultry and fish; discard fats and oils in broths and pan drippings (pesticide residues concentrate in the animal's fat). • Wash fresh produce in warm running water, use a scrub brush, and rinse thoroughly. • Use a knife to peel an orange and grapefruit; do not bite into the peel. • Discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables such as cabbage and lettuce. • Cut away damaged or bruised areas. • Wash fruits and vegetables before peeling to avoid transferring dirt and bacteria from the knife onto the produce. Peel waxed fruits and vegetables; waxes don’t wash off and can seal in pesticide residues. • Peel vegetables such as carrots and fruits such as apples when possible (peeling removes dirt, bacteria, and pesticides that remain in or on the peel, but also removes fibers, vitamins, and minerals).

26. Pesticide Alternatives • Rotating crops • Releasing organisms into fields to destroy pest • Planting nonfood crops nearby to kill pests or attract them away from crops • Benefits and disadvantages of using alternative techniques

27. Organically Grown Crops • USDA regulations for organic designation • Product codes • Preceded by “9” • Reasons for buying organic • Popular fruit and vegetable pesticide residues • Nutritional differences of organics and other crops

28. Most and Least Pesticide-Contaminated Produce NOTE: These fruits and vegetables are ranked in order of their pesticide load.

29. Food Labels for Organic Products

30. Food Additives • Benefits • Food safety • Enhance nutrient quality • Prevent spoilage • Additives may be intentional or indirect • FDA regulation • Effective • Detectable and measurable in final food product • Safe

31. GRAS List • Some items are exempt from FDA approval • Generally recognized as safe • Examples: salt, sugar, caffeine, some spices • List under ongoing review • Delaney clause • Addresses carcinogens in foods and drugs • Controversy regarding strictness • “Negligible risk” standard used instead of “zero-risk” policy

32. Margin of Safety • Risks must be determined by research • Allowance in food 100 times below unsafe level • Risks versus benefits • FDA regulations against additive use that: • Disguises faulty products • Deceives the customer • Significantly destroys nutrients • Has an economical, sound process alternative

33. Intentional Food Additives • Ways in which food goes bad • Loses flavor and attractiveness • Becomes contaminated with microbes • Antimicrobial agents • Salt and sugar • Nitrites • Bacteriophages

34. Antioxidants and Color Additives • Vitamins C and E • Sulfites • BHA and BHT • Colors • Plant-derived • Artificial • Only a few remain on the approved list for use in foods

35. Artificial Flavors • Natural flavors • Artificial flavors • Flavor enhancers • MSG • Sugar alternatives • Saccharin • Aspartame • Acceptable daily intake (ADI)

36. Texture and Stability • Emulsifiers • Gums • Nutrient additives • Fortify or maintain nutritional quality • Examples • Appropriate uses

37. List of Intentional Food Additives

38. Indirect Food Additives • Acrylamide • Results from cooking carbohydrate-rich foods and asparagine at high temperatures • Carcinogen and genotoxicant • Quantities in foods below amounts that cause damage • Present in roasted coffee, French fries, potato chips, cereals, and cookies

39. Food Packaging • Paper, plastic, coatings, and sealants • Active packaging • Helps cook the food • Packaging components migrate into the food • Passive packaging • Simply holds the food as it cooks • Materials still migrate at high temperatures • Use only plastic wraps labeled as microwave-safe • BPA

40. Dioxins and Decaf Coffee • Dioxins • Chlorine treatment of wood pulp • Extremely toxic and likely to cause cancer • Human exposure to dioxins comes primarily from foods • Levels in bleached packaging are very low • Decaffeinated coffee • Methylene chloride

41. Hormones • Bovine growth hormone (BGH) • FDA determination related to BGH • Antibiotics • FDA regulation • Antibiotic resistance

42. Consumer Concerns About Water • Sources of drinking water • Surface water • Readily contaminated • Contamination is reversible • Cleansing methods • Ground water • Slower rate of contamination • Contaminants remain for a long time

43. Water Systems and Regulations • Public water systems • Disinfectant (usually chlorine) is added to kill bacteria • EPA regulates • Water characteristics • Hard versus soft • Home water treatments • Activated carbon filters, ozonation, reverse osmosis, and distillation systems

44. Bottled Water • FDA regulation • Neither safer nor healthier than tap water • Water quality varies • Sources • Label requirements • Must identify source • Handling of bottled water

45. Food Biotechnology Highlight 19

46. Biotechnology • Benefits already realized from biotechnology • Leaner meats, longer shelf-lives, better nutrient composition, and greater crop yields • Opportunities • Overcome food shortages and eliminate disease • Possible risks • Environment • Human health

47. The Promises of Genetic Engineering • Selective breeding has been used for centuries • Slow and imprecise • Genetic engineering • Rapid and dramatic changes to agriculture • Faster and more refined

48. Selective Breeding and Genetic Engineering Compared

49. In the new variety, many genes have been transferred. Commercial variety Donor + = Desired gene Desired gene Stepped Art for Traditional Selective Breeding Traditional Selective Breeding Traditional selective breeding combines many genes from two varieties of the same species to produce one with the desired characteristics.

50. In the new variety, only the desired gene is transferred. Commercial variety Donor = + Desired gene Desired gene isolated Stepped Art for Genetic Engineering Genetic Engineering Through genetic engineering, a single gene (or several are) transferred from the same or different species to produce one with the desired characteristics.