Quick Facts...
- Nutrition, food safety and health are inter-related because no food is nutritious if it's not safe to eat.
- Safe food handling is as important in the home as it is in a food processing plant, grocery store or restaurant.
- It is often the cook who has the final control in ensuring that food served is safe to eat.
Causes of Foodborne Illness
Food may cause illness if it's been contaminated with microorganisms
such as parasites, viruses or bacteria, and all food can be carriers of
these microorganisms. At the right temperature, in just a few hours, even
small amounts of bacteria you can't see, smell, or taste can multiply
to dangerous levels on susceptible foods and cause foodborne illness,
sometimes called food poisoning. Symptoms tend to resemble the flu. If
diarrhea continues, this can become a nutritional concern, as diarrhea
interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. Young children,
infants, pregnant women, elderly people and people who are sick are especially
susceptible to foodborne illness. Therefore, it is important to take special
care when serving food to these groups.
Although any microorganism can find its way into a child care or home setting,
five pathogens seem to have particular importance in outbreaks of foodborne
illness affecting children in child care. These microorganisms include:
Shigella, Cryptosporidium, Giardia lamblia,
Hepatitis A, and E. coli O157:H7.
Shigella is a bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and pussy to bloody stools. It is transmitted by infected
people to others through fecal contamination directly or through food or water.
Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasitic protozoan that causes mild to severe diarrhea. When ingested, cysts carrying
the protozoan migrate to the small intestine where they cause illness. Infants and people with Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) are particularly vulnerable.
Giardiasis is an infection caused by a water-borne parasite called Giardia lamblia. It is characterized by foul smelling
diarrhea, large soft stools, excessive gas, a swollen abdomen, dehydration, and loss of appetite. Young children can contract giardiasis by drinking contaminated water, including stream water, eating dirt or worm eggs or playing with infected dogs.
Also, giardiasis easily can be spread between adults and children in child care or babysitting situations if hands are not
properly washed after diaper changes.
Infectious hepatitis is a disease of the liver caused by a virus called Hepatitis A. Hepatitis A is commonly spread through
contaminated water supplies and through contact with infected people who do not take proper sanitary care. In child care
settings, it can be avoided through proper hand washing and by sanitizing diaper change and other areas where stool may be
present. Symptoms take 15 to 50 days to appear after contraction of the disease and infants and children under 6 may
remain asymptomatic, or show only mild jaundice and darkened urine as symptoms, yet serve as carriers of the disease.
Symptoms include: fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, muscle aches, darkened urine and enlargement
of the liver. If hepatitis A occurs in a child care home or center, the center should seek medical advice in order to treat those
who may be exposed and to prevent further spread of the disease.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is probably the most dreaded bacteria
today among parents of young children. E. coli O157:H7 became a
household word in 1993 when it was identified as the cause of four deaths
and more than 600 cases of bloody diarrhea among children under 8 in the
Northwest. The Northwest outbreak was traced to undercooked hamburgers
served in a fast food restaurant. Other sources of outbreaks have included
raw milk, unpasteurized apple juice, raw sprouts, raw spinach, and contaminated
water. Most strains of E. coli bacteria are harmless; however,
this particular strain attaches itself to the intestinal wall and then
releases a toxin that causes severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea
and vomiting that lasts a week or longer. In small children and the elderly,
the disease can progress to kidney failure. The good news is that E.
coli O157:H7 is easily destroyed by cooking. Use a thermometer to
make sure ground beef is cooked to 160 degrees F throughout.
Basic Rules to Handle Food Safely
Safe food handling is your first line of defense in preventing foodborne illness. Food needs to be cared for safely from the
time its purchased until it's safely eaten.
Shopping
Food safety in the home or child care center actually starts at the grocery store. Buy only as much as you can
safely store. Think of the layout of the store and what foods you're going to pick up first and what items you're going to
pick up last. Pick up perishable items last.
Bag foods, such as raw meats, separately so drippings can't contaminate other foods. Keep meats separate from fruits and
vegetables in the cart.
Buy packaged precooked foods only if packaging is sound. Buy products labeled "keep refrigerated" only if they are stored
in a refrigerated case. Remember to check the "use by" dates before purchasing any food item.
Avoid damaged containers even if they seem like a good bargain. They may cost you health-wise if contaminated.
Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours of purchase or within one hour in hot weather to keep food poisoning
bacteria from multiplying too quickly.
Storing Food
Proper storage of food prolongs its shelf-life and helps maintain the safety and quality of the food. Your
frozen foods will maintain top flavor and nutritional value if your freezer keeps them frozen solid.
Make sure your refrigerator is kept clean and maintains a temperature
of 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Foods should be cold to the touch, but
not frozen. Store canned goods and other shelf-stable items in a cool,
dry place; rotate foods so you use older supplies first. Store dry foods
such as flours, cereals, cornmeal, sugar, and dry beans in tightly-covered
containers to protect from Insects and mice.
Preparing Food
Cleanliness is your first line of defense against foodborne illness. Child care homes and centers need to
be especially careful about cleanliness and sanitation. When hands and surface areas are not properly washed and sanitized
after diapering, fecal bacteria can be transferred to food during preparation and service.
Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing
diapers, handling raw meat or poultry, touching animals, smoking, coughing or sneezing into your hand, or blowing your
nose.
Children also need to learn about the importance of washing their hands. Teach children to take time to wash their hands
after going to the toilet, before and after eating, and after playing with dirty objects or pets.
Remember to wash and sanitize cutting boards and work areas after handling raw products. Use a solution of 1 tablespoon
chlorine bleach per gallon of water to sanitize cutting boards and work areas. Air dry.
Avoid cross-contamination. Cross-contamination can occur if raw food drippings fall on cooked or other raw foods or if
utensils, hands and cutting areas are not cleaned after each individual food use.
Use separate cutting boards for meats versus breads and vegetables. That's the simplest way to make sure that you won't contaminate foods to be served without further cooking from bacteria in raw animal products.
Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables in plain water. Use a scrub brush on hard-to-clean fruits and vegetables. Peel if necessary.
Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter. You may also safely thaw foods in the microwave oven, provided
the food is cooked immediately.
Make sure all raw meat, poultry, fish and eggs are thoroughly cooked. That means cooking meats until no pink remains and
the juices run clear. Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm.
Don't let people with infected cuts or sores, colds, or other infectious diseases prepare or serve food.
Serving Food
Food safety errors also can be made during the serving and handling of cooked food. Don't forget cleanliness. Remember to wash hands thoroughly before serving foods.
Serve cooked foods on clean plates and with clean utensils, not the same ones that held the raw food. If serving time is
long, be sure to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Don't let perishable foods sit at room temperature for more than
two hours, or one hour in hot weather.
Handle Leftovers with Care
Wash hands before handling leftovers and use clean utensils and surfaces. Divide leftovers
into meal-sized portions. Place in shallow containers, cover and refrigerate as soon as possible after serving. Use within a
couple of days, or freeze for use within three months.
Special Picnic Precautions
Picnics are something that all children enjoy. Proper handling and serving of food must be remembered on picnics, too.
Plan ahead. Take only as much food as you'll need. Plan a menu that can remain safe until time to eat. Be cautious about
serving foods that are difficult to keep safe on picnics, such as custard, cream-filled or meringue pies, potato salad, or
chicken, ham, tuna and egg-salad sandwiches. Some examples of foods that keep well on picnics include most fruits and
vegetables, canned goods, crackers, fruit juices, peanut butter, and canned or dried meats.
Store perishable foods such as milk, meat, chicken, salads and sandwich fillings
in portable ice chests. Include one or more cold sources in the cooler
such as commercial ice packs, containers of ice or ice cubes. Serve cold
foods promptly from the cooler. On very hot days, don't let food sit out
for more than an hour. Otherwise, wrap and store leftovers within two
hours.
At the picnic site, thoroughly cook barbecued and grilled foods, such as chicken, pork, beef and fish. After the picnic,
promptly put leftovers back in the cooler. If the cooler no longer contains ice, then don't try to save perishable leftovers.
Remember...when in doubt, throw it out!
Preventing Choking
When picnicking or whenever you're feeding children, parents and care givers must always be alert to the danger of
choking. A choking child is a silent child. Each year as many children die from choking on food as from eating food that
has been contaminated with bacteria or toxins.
Risky foods tend to be small, round, firm and slippery. The child under 4 usually finds such foods difficult to hold in place
and chew. Round foods cause trouble because they fit so well into a child's airway, which is small and susceptible to
blockage.
Hot dogs, a popular picnic item, head the list of foods that children
choke on most often. Slicing a hot dog lengthwise and then cutting pieces
at an angle ensures odd-shaped pieces that are less likely to cause a
child to choke. Other foods likely to cause choking include candy, gum,
peanuts and other nuts, grapes, cookies, chunks of meat, carrot coins,
apple chunks and peanut butter--all popular foods with young children.
Environment also plays a part in choking. Eating and/or drinking while lying down, crying, laughing, talking, running or
playing greatly increases the risk of choking. Because of this, it's important that meal and snack times be supervised, that
small children be fed in an upright position, and that eating and play time be separated.
Summary
Sanitation and safe food practices are some of the most important aspects of good food service. One error or one instance of
carelessness can cause the spread of disease with drastic consequences.
Just as it's important to feed children nutritious, body-building foods, it is equally important that your meals and snacks be free from substances that may cause illness. Nutrition and sanitation must go hand-in-hand in the home or in any food service operation.
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