National Food Safety Day is June 7

Each year, June 7 is designated as National Food Safety Day. While the agricultural community recognizes this designation, we treat every day as a food safety day. It is part of the culture of growing food for the nation.

As we continue to focus on the COVID-19 issues and shortages in the food supply chain while crops are left in the field due to the lack of markets for them, let’s take this opportunity to look at foodborne illness that result in food poisoning.

Many different disease-causing germs can contaminate foods, so there are many different foodborne infections (also called foodborne disease or food poisoning).

• Researchers have identified more than 250 foodborne diseases.

• Most of them are infections, caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses and parasites

• Harmful toxins and chemicals also can contaminate foods and cause foodborne illness.

The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year 48 million people in the United States get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. The population of the United States is estimated to be 333,546,000. If we average 1.5 meals per day per person that means the chances of food poisoning is 0.0095 percent. But if you or your family member is sick that lower percentage does not matter.

Do you have food poisoning?

Common symptoms of foodborne diseases are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. However, symptoms may differ among the different types of foodborne diseases. Symptoms can sometimes be severe, and some foodborne illnesses can even be life-threatening. Although anyone can get a foodborne illness, some people ae more likely to develop one. Those groups include:

• Older adults

• Young children

• People with immune systems weakened from medical conditions, such as diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, organ transplants or HIV/ AIDS, or from receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment

• Pregnant women

Most people with a foodborne illness get better without medical treatment, but people with severe symptoms should see their physician.

Some common foodborne germs

The top five germs that cause illnesses from food eaten in the United States are:

1. Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. You can get norovirus from:

• Having direct contact with an infected person

• Consuming contaminated food or water

• Touching contaminated surfaces then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth

2. Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the United States every year. Food is the source for most of these illnesses.

Most people who get ill from salmonella have diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection and last four to seven days.

Most people recover without specific treatment and should not take antibiotics. Antibiotics are typically used only to treat people who have severe illness or who are at risk for it. Some people’s illness may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized.

3.Clostridium perfringens is one of the most common types of foodborne illness in the United States. CDC estimates it causes nearly 1 million cases of foodborne illness each year.

4. Campylobacter causes an estimated 1.5 million illnesses each year in the United States. People can get Campylobacter infection by eating raw or undercooked poultry or eating something that touched it.

They can also get it from eating other foods, including seafood, meat, and produce, by contact with animals, and by drinking untreated water. Although people with Campylobacter infection usually recover on their own, some need antibiotic treatment.

5. Staph food poisoning is a gastrointestinal illness caused by eating foods contaminated with toxins produced by the bacterium staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

About 25 percent of people and animals have staph on their skin and in their nose. It usually does not cause illness in healthy people, but Staph has the ability to make toxins that can cause food poisoning.

People who carry staph can contaminate food if they don’t wash their hands before touching it. If food is contaminated with staph, the bacteria can multiply in the food and produce toxins that can make people ill. Staph bacteria are killed by cooking, but the toxins are not destroyed and will still be able to cause illness.

Foods that are not cooked after handling, such as sliced meats, puddings, pastries, and sandwiches, are especially risky if contaminated with staph. Food contaminated with staph toxin may not smell bad or look spoiled

OK, enough of the science terms. We in agricultural have our own guidelines for food safety and we continue to enhance them. We do provide the following four simple tips for you and your family to follow at home.

Clean

Wash your hands and surfaces often.

Germs that cause food poisoning can survive in many places and spread around your kitchen.

Wash hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food and before eating.

Wash your utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot, soapy water.

Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.

Separate

Don’t cross-contaminate. Raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs can spread germs to ready-toeat foods — unless you keep them separate.

Use separate cutting boards and plates for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

When grocery shopping, keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods.

Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods in the fridge.

Cook

That means to the recommended temperature. Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs that can make you sick. The only way to tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer. You can’t tell if food is safely cooked by checking its color and texture.

Use a food thermometer to ensure foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature:

• 145°F for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb (then allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving or eating)

• 160°F for ground meats, such as beef and pork

• 165°F for all poultry, including ground chicken and turkey

• 165°F for leftovers and casseroles

• 145°F for fresh ham (raw)

• 145°F for fin fish or cook until flesh is opaque

Chill

Refrigerate promptly. Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F. Never leave perishable food out for more than two hours (or one hour if it’s hotter than 90°F outside).

Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below and know when to throw food out.

Thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Never thaw foods on the counter, because bacteria multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature.

Join us in recognizing National Food Safety Day on June 7, but like all of in the agricultural industry, follow the guideline every day.