Chapter 19 Consumer Concerns about Food and Water

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Consumer
Concerns about
Foods and Water
Chapter 19

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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

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Common Foodborne Illnesses
Common Organism Name Most Frequent Food Sources Onset and General Symptoms Prevention Methods*
Foodborne Infections
Campylobacter
(KAM-pee-loh-BAK-ter) bacterium
Raw and undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk, contaminated
water
Onset: 2 to 5 days. Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever;
sometimes bloody stools; lasts 7 to 10 days
Cook foods thoroughly; use pasteurized milk; use sanitary food-
handling methods.
E.coli: 0157:H7b bacterium Undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk and juices, raw fruits
and vegetables, contaminated water, and person-to-person contact
Onset: 1 to 8 days. Severe bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting;
lasts 5 to 10 days.
Cook ground beef thoroughly; use pasteurized milk; use
sanitary food-handling methods; use treated, boiled, or bottled
water.
Norovirus Person-to-person contact; raw foods, salads, sandwiches Onset: 1 to 2 days. Vomiting; lasts 1 to 2 days. Use sanitary food-handling methods.
Listeria (lis-TER-ee-AH) bacterium Unpasteurized milk; fresh soft cheeses; luncheon meats, hot dogs Onset: 1 to 21 days. Fever, muscle aches; nausea, vomiting. blood
poisoning , complications in pregnancy, and meningitis (stiff neck, severe
headache, and fever).
Use sanitary food-handling methods: cook foods thoroughly;
use pasteurized milk.
Clostridium (klo-STRID-ee-um)
perfringens (per-FRINGE-enz) Bacterium
Meats and meat products stored at between 120°F and 130°F Onset: 8 to 16 hours. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea; lasts 1 to 2 days. Use sanitary food-handling methods; use pasteurized milk;
cook foods thoroughly; refrigerate foods promptly and properly.
Salmonella (sal-moh-NEL-ah) bacteria
(>2300 types)
Raw or undercooked eggs, meats, poultry, raw milk and other dairy
products, shrimp, frog legs, yeast, coconut, pasta, and chocolate
Onset: 1 to 3 days. Fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea; lasts 4
to 7 days; can be fatal.
Use sanitary food-handling methods; use pasteurized milk;
cook foods thoroughly; refrigerate foods promptly and properly.
Food Intoxications
Botulism (BOT-chew-lizm) Botulinum toxin
produced by Clostridium botulinum
bacterium. which grows without oxygen, in
low-acid foods, and at temperatures
between 40°F and 120°F; the botulinum
(BOT-chew-line-um) toxin responsible for
botulism is called botulin (BOT-chew-lin).
Anaerobic environment of low acidity (canned corn, peppers, green
beans, soups, beets, asparagus, mushrooms, ripe olives, spinach,
tuna, chicken, chicken liver, liver paté, luncheon meats, ham,
sausage, stuffed eggplant, lobster, and smoked and salted fish)
Onset: 4 to 36 hours. Nervous system symptoms, including double vision,
inability to swallow, speech difficulty, and progressive paralysis of the
respiratory system; often fatal; leaves prolonged symptoms in survivors.
Use proper canning methods for low-acid foods; refrigerate
homemade garlic and herb oils; avoid commercially prepared
foods with leaky seals or with bent, bulging, or broken cans.
Do not give infants honey because it may contain spores of
Clostridium botulinum which is a common source of infection
for infants.
Staphylococcal (STAF-il-oh-KOK-al) food
poisoning Staphylococcal toxin (produced
by Staphylococcus aureus bacterium)
Toxin produced in improperly refrigerated meats; egg, tuna, potato,
and macaroni salads; cream-filled pastries
Onset: 1 to 6 hours. Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever;
lasts 1 to 2 days.
Use sanitary food-handling methods; cook food thoroughly;
refrigerate foods promptly and properly; use proper home-
canning methods.
Toxoplasma (TOK-so-PLAZ-ma) parasite Raw or undercooked meat: unwashed fruits and vegetables;
contaminated water
Onset: 7 to 21 days. Swollen glands, fever, headache, muscle pain, stiff
neck.
Use sanitary food-handling methods; cook foods thoroughly.
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.

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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

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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

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Food Safety From
Farm to Table

7. Stepped Art
Workers must use
safe methods of
growing,
harvesting, sorting,
packing, and
storing food to
minimize
contamination
hazards.
FARM
Processors must
follow FDA
guidelines concerning
contamination,
cleanliness, and
education and training
of workers and must
monitor for safety at
critical control points.
PROCESSING
Containers and
vehicles
transporting food
must be clean. Cold
food must be kept
cold at all times.
TRANSPORTATION
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.
RETAIL
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.
TABLE

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

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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

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Meat and Poultry Safety,
Grading, and Inspection Seals

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Recommended Safe
Temperatures (Fahrenheit)

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

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Safe Refrigerator Storage
Times
1 to 2 Days
Raw ground meats, breakfast or other raw sausages, raw fish or poultry;
gravies
3 to 5 Days
Raw steaks, roasts, or chops; cooked meats, poultry, vegetables, and mixed
dishes; lunch-meats (packages opened); mayonnaise salads (chicken, egg,
pasta, tuna); fresh vegetables (spinach, green beans, tomatoes)
1 Week
Hard-cooked eggs, bacon or hot dogs (opened packages); smoked sausages
or seafood; milk, cottage cheese
1 to 2 Weeks
Yogurt; carrots, celery, lettuce
2 to 4 Weeks
Fresh eggs (in shells); lunchmeats, bacon, or hot dogs (packages
unopened); dry sausages (pepperoni, hard salami); most aged and
processed cheeses (Swiss, brick)
2 Months
Mayonnaise (opened jar); most dry cheeses (Parmesan, Romano)

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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”

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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

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

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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

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Bioaccumulation of Toxins in
the Food Chain

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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

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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

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

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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

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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”

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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

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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).

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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

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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

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Most and Least Pesticide-
Contaminated Produce
Most Contaminated Least Contaminated
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Spinach
Bell peppers
Nectarines (imported)
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Hot peppers
Blueberries
Lettuce
Snap peas (imported)
Corn
Onions
Pineapples
Avocados
Cabbage
Peas
Papayas
Mangoes
Asparagus
Eggplant
Kiwi
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe
Sweet potatoes
Mushrooms
NOTE: These fruits and vegetables are ranked in order of their pesticide load.

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Food Labels for Organic
Products

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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

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

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List of Intentional Food
Additives
Food Additive Purpose Common Examples
Antimicrobials Prevent food spoilage from microorganisms Salt, sugar, nitrites and nitrates (such as sodium nitrate),
bacteriophages
Antioxidants Prevent oxidative changes in color, flavor,
or texture and delay rancidity and other
damage to foods caused by oxygen
Vitamin C (erythorbic acid, sodium ascorbate), vitamin E
(tocopherol), sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium sulfite, sodium
bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium
metabisulfite), BHA and BHT
Colors Enhance appearance Artificial: indigotine, erythrosine. tartrazine Natural: annatto
(yellow), caramel (yellowish brown), carotenoids (yellowish
orange), dehydrated beets (reddish brown), grape skins (red,
green)
Flavors Enhance taste Salt, sugar, spices, artificial sweeteners, MSG
Emulsifiers and
gums
Thicken, stabilize, or otherwise improve
consistency and texture
Emulsifiers: lecithin, alginates, mono- and diglycerides
Gums: agar, alginates, carrageenan, guar, locust bean,
psyllium, pectin, xanthan gum, gum arabic, cellulose
derivatives
Nutrients (vitamins
and minerals)
Improve the nutritive value by replacing
vitamins and minerals lost in processing
(enrichment) or adding vitamins or minerals
that may be lacking in the diet (fortification)
Thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, iron (in grain products);
iodine (in salt); vitamins A and D (in milk); vitamin C and
calcium (in fruit drinks); vitamin B12 (in vegetarian foods)

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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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

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

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Food
Biotechnology
Highlight 19

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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

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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

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Selective Breeding and Genetic
Engineering Compared

49. 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.
Donor Commercial variety
+
In the new variety,
many genes have
been transferred.
=
Desired
gene
Desired
gene

50. 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.
Donor Commercial variety
+
In the new variety,
only the desired
gene is transferred.
=
Desired
gene isolated
Desired
gene

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Benefits of Genetic
Engineering
• Extended shelf life
• Improved nutrient composition
• Biofortification
• Efficient food processing
• Save money and time
• Efficient drug delivery
• Genetically assisted agriculture
• Environmental impact of pesticides

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The Potential Problems and
Concerns
• Consumer concerns with “frankenfoods”
• Disruption of natural ecosystems
• Introduction of diseases
• Introduction of allergens and toxins
• Creation of biological weapons
• Ethical dilemmas
• Need for evidence
• Need for international oversight

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FDA Regulations
• FDA’s position
• Foods produced through biotechnology or cloning
not substantially different
• GRAS
• No special testing, regulation, or labeling
• Current labeling by manufacturers is voluntary