The document discusses foodborne illness and food safety. It defines foodborne illness as an infection caused by consuming contaminated food or drink. Common symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. While most cases are mild and resolve on their own, some can lead to serious complications. Proper food handling and washing hands are important to prevent the spread of germs and foodborne illness.

1. Food safety
Questions and Answers
DR Yousef Elshrek

2. • What is a foodborne illness
• Foodborne illness is an infection or irritation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
caused by food or beverages that contain harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, or
chemicals. Common foodborne illness symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea,
abdominal pain, fever, and chills. Or
• An illness caused by disease causing microorganisms in food.
• Most foodborne illnesses are acute, meaning they happen suddenly and last a
short time, and most people recover on their own without treatment.
• Occasionally, foodborne illness may lead to more serious complications.
• Each year, an estimated 48 million people in the United States experience a
foodborne illness. Foodborne illnesses cause 128, 000 hospitalizations and
about 3,000 deaths in the United States annually.

3. • WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS?
• Some symptoms of foodborne illness are dependent on the type of microorganism present.
However, many foodborne illnesses share common symptoms including:
1. Vomiting
2. Diarrhea or bloody diarrhea
3. Abdominal pain
4. Fever
5. Chills
Symptoms can range from mild to serious and can last from a few hours to several days.
In addition, the toxins produced by C. botulinum and some chemicals affect the nervous
system, causing symptoms such as
1. headache tingling or numbness of the skin
2. blurred vision
3. Weakness
4. dizziness paralysis

4. • How is foodborne illness treated?
• The most common treatment for mild cases of foodborne illness is replacing
lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration.
• Over-the-counter medications may help stop diarrhea in adults, however,
these medications should not be used by people with bloody diarrhea, as this
may be a sign of bacterial or parasitic infection.
• If diarrhea is caused by bacteria or parasites, over-the-counter medications
may prolong the problem.
• Medications to treat diarrhea in adults can be dangerous for infants and
children and should only be given with a health care provider’s guidance.
• If the specific cause of the foodborne illness is diagnosed, a health care
provider may prescribe medications, such as antibiotics, to treat the illness.
• Hospitalization may be required to treat more severe cases of foodborne
illness

5. • What is the “temperature danger zone”?
• The temperature range where bacteria can multiply rapidly.
• The temperature danger zone refers to food temperatures between
41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, with the most rapid bacteria growth
occurring between 70 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The longer food sits in this temperature range, the more opportunity
there is for bacteria to grow.
• As these bacteria reach unsafe levels, this can cause food to spoil
and become dangerous for consumption.
• As a food service professional, it’s your responsibility to avoid
these issues by ensuring food is quickly chilled or heated and held at
safe temperatures.

6. • How Long Can Food Stay in the
Temperature Danger Zone?
• As a general rule, it is recommended
foods enter their proper temperature
zones within 2 hours.
• For cold foods, this will be 40 degrees
Fahrenheit and below, and for hot foods,
this is above 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In warmer environments with an
ambient temperature above 90 degrees
Fahrenheit, this time is cut down to 1
hour.
• It only takes this short time for germs to
grow and spread rapidly.

7. • FOR THE PAST FOUR HOURS, LEFTOVERS FROM YOUR FAMILY’S
BIG HOLIDAY DINNER HAVE BEEN SITTING OUT IN THE KITCHEN
FOR GUESTS TO EAT. The left over contains : Fudge, whole wheat buns
,roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, baked meat and sliced watermelon
• Which the foods that are still safe to eat?
• The foods that are still safe to eat are:
1. Fudge
2. Whole-wheat buns
• Which the leftover foods that are not safe to eat?
• the foods that are not safe to eat?
1. Roasted turkey
2. Mashed potatoes
3. Baked meat
4. Sliced watermelon

8. • UNSAFE FOOD WILL ALWAYS HAVE A STRANGE APPEARANCE AND
ODOR. TRUE OR FALSE
• The right answer is false because
• Taste and smell are not reliable indicators of food safety.
• Some bacteria that cause food-borne illness do not have off-flavors
associated with them.
• Clostridium botulinum, for example, produces a tasteless but deadly
toxin.
• One clue that it may be present is a bulging lid on canned food.
• Any cans with bulging lids should be discarded without opening, and
disposed of beyond the reach of children and pets.
• However, botulinum poisoning is not limited to canned foods.
• It can occur in other foods stored improperly.

9. • flat-sour spoilage by thermophilic spore formers such as
Bacillus stearothermophilus and B. coagulans (fac.
anaerobe).
• Can does not bulge (flat) but pH falls and food tastes sour, off
odors may be apparent.
• It is caused by some microorganisms that survive the canning
process.
• They are referred to as thermophilic (“heat loving”).
• The actual bacteria that cause it can include (depending on
the food product) strains of Bacillus stearothermophilus,
Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus macerans,
and Bacillus subtilis.

10. • They are harmless with regard to food safety, but they cause the food
to ferment in a way that produces a sour off-taste and smell without
producing any gas. Metal cans will not bulge, nor will lids pop off of
jars as there is no gas to cause that.
• It is described as sour because of the taste and smell, and flat
because it doesn’t produce gas that could bulge or blow the lid .
• It can lower the pH (0.3 – 0.5) of the product a small amount. [3]
• It occurs particularly with peas, corn and tomatoes (either whole,
crushed or juiced tomatoes.)

11. • Last night it was your turn to clear the dinner table and clean up the
kitchen. At midnight, you woke up and realized that you had
forgotten to refrigerate the leftover potato salad. If the potato salad
had been left out since 7 p.m., what should you do with the potato
salad? Check the correct answer.
• You have to throw the salad away
• Do not take the following action such as :
• Putting the salad in the refrigerator. because refrigeration will not kill
any bacteria that grew in the salad
• In general freeing or refrigerating foods will not kill bacteria
• Do not Taste the salad, it is not safe to refrigerate , because there is
no way to make it safe to eat again..

12. • When refrigerating raw chicken, where should you store it
to prevent cross contamination of other foods?
• To prevent cross contamination of other foods you should
store raw chicken on the bottom shelf inside the
refrigerator and not on the top shelf inside the refrigerator
or In the drawer with other meats, such as salami and
leftover ham.
• If you were preparing submarine sandwiches for your
family, which one of the following activities would you do
first?
• the following activities would you do first is to wash your
hands before cutting the lettuce and tomatoes or bread .

13. • If your friend was grilling hamburgers and asked how you
wanted your hamburger cooked, how should you respond?
• You should tell him your prefer Well done cooked hamburgers
and not medium rare.
• When you were helping make chocolate chip cookies, you ate a
large spoonful of the raw cookie dough. The next day you were
sick with diarrhea and stomach pain. Why do you think that you
became sick?
• you became sick because the cookie dough had uncooked eggs
in it and not because the cookie dough had too much sugar in it
or because the cookie dough had uncooked margarine in it.

14. • Recommended thorough handwashing takes how long?
• handwashing takes less than 1 minute it is around20
seconds.
• Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself,
your family, and others from getting sick.
•Washing your hands with soap and water is simple and easy.
• More importantly, it’s one of the most effective ways to
prevent the spread of germs.
• Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one
person to another and throughout an entire community—
from your home and workplace to childcare facilities and
hospitals.

15. • When should you wash your hands?
• You can help yourself and others stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during
these key times when germs are likely to get on your hands and can easily spread to you or
others:
• Washing hands
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
• Hand sanitizer
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least
60% alcohol.
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After touching garbage

16. • What is the right way to wash your hands?
• Follow the five steps below to wash your hands the right way every
time.
1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off
the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure
to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under
your nails.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the
“Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

17. • WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU DON’T HAVE SOAP AND CLEAN,
RUNNING WATER?
• Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs. If soap
and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at
least 60% alcohol.
• You can tell if the sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the
product label.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on
hands in some situations, but sanitizers do NOT get rid of all types of germs.
• Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
Furthermore, hand sanitizers might not remove harmful chemicals like
pesticides and heavy metals from hands.
• Be cautious when using hand sanitizers around children; swallowing alcohol-
based hand sanitizers can cause alcohol poisoning if a person swallows more
than a couple mouthfuls.

18. • HOW DO YOU USE HAND SANITIZERS?
• Apply the gel to the palm of one hand (read the label
to learn the correct amount).
• Rub your hands together.
• Rub the gel over all surfaces of your hands and fingers
until your hands are dry.
• This should take around 20 seconds.