Food Poisoning: Identifying a Foodborne Illness
Foodborne illness is no fun. It is likely that at some point in your life, you ate a food item and later became sick. Whether they knew it or not, it is estimated that every year one in every six Americans experiences a food related illness. While those of us in the biz refer to this sickness as a foodborne illness, a poll by NPR back in 2011 found that the general public calls it food poisoning. Whatever term is used, knowing the scope of the problem is the first step in solving it.
We’ve all heard the estimate that 48 million people in the U.S. experience foodborne illness. It is hard to confirm cases because folks may suffer in silence, self-diagnose themselves with the flu, don’t know where to report the illness, or fail to seek medical treatment. Even if they do seek medical care, not all healthcare providers recognize the need to order a stool sample (which is needed for confirmation of pathogen with the suspected food).
…one in every six Americans experiences a food related illness…48 million people yearly!
The investigation process begins with reporting to local health authorities by individuals, foodservices, or other food companies. Local agencies collaborate with state and federal authorities to gather information and trace back the point of contamination. For instance, if multiple people call in to a foodservice complaining of similar symptoms, there is a good chance that the operation is involved in transmission of the contaminated food. The food may have arrived at the facility already contaminated, or something happened in-house such as temperature abuse, improper preparation procedures, or handling by an infected worker. A confirmed case will show similar pathogen markers in both the food and the stool sample of those infected. The investigation process can be a challenge, but new technology is aiding in these investigations. Brenda Halbrook, is our speaker for the October 21st SafeBites Webinar about investigation of foodborne illness, and she will talk us through the process.
Another challenge in addition to non-reporting of illnesses is that often, the suspected food has been consumed so there is none left to test. School nutrition programs and healthcare foodservice operations retain sample trays for seven days or longer in order to have food available for testing, if needed. This is a good strategy because it can protect the organization from false claims. Further, not all pathogens that cause illness are the same. Different symptoms may be presented and incubation periods (the time from eating the suspect food and when symptoms appear) vary, with some as short as 30 minutes and others up to a week. Cathy’s experience with food poisoning happened 28 years ago after eating lukewarm rice at a restaurant – within 30 minutes symptoms appeared! Her latent self-diagnosis was bacillus cereus. Back then, she suffered in silence. Today, she would contact the restaurant, as well as the local health inspector. Foodservice operators should be prepared for when they receive a call from an unhappy guest. In our second blog for October, we will provide some recommendations to assist foodservices in being prepared to address complaints. Risk nothing!
Remembering the Importance of Food Safety During Food Safety Education Month
In the foodservice industry, every plate that leaves your kitchen carries not just flavors and aromas, but also the responsibility of providing safe and wholesome meals to customers. Celebrated each September, National Food Safety Education Month provides a platform for foodservice professionals to reaffirm their commitment to food safety. It's a reminder that excellence in foodservice operations must always be accompanied by excellence in food safety; a reminder that any great meal begins with safe food as the foundation.
Embracing Technology for Enhanced Food Safety in Foodservice Operations
Technology. We love it, we hate it. I’ve always been fascinated by technology; I remember getting my first Blackberry in the mid-90s and thinking it was the pinnacle of technological advances. Before that, I remember ordering a dictation program in college that was going to revolutionize the way I “typed” my assignments. Looking back, it really wasn’t worth the box that the program came in. Now, we have ChatGPT that will write the entire paper for us!
Meat Color and Doneness: Persistent Pinking
Late in June, my family and I were able to visit the Black Hills, an area of the country in which I have not had the opportunity to spend much time. One evening, as we dined at a local restaurant, I observed a table across the dining room sending back a dinner. While I couldn’t hear the entire conversation and I certainly wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, it was apparent that the customer was unhappy with the cooking of their hamburger and was sending it back because it was too pink in the middle. That immediately brought to my mind the phenomenon known as persistent pinking. A term I became familiar with because of work done by some colleagues here at Kansas State, which they present each summer to a group of foodservice operators who join us on-campus for an in-depth week-long look at all things food safety.
Quat Binding – Why this Can Have a Disastrous Impact on Your Sanitation Program.
In June, I had the opportunity to represent FoodHandler and speak on food safety behavior for customers of Martin Bros. Distributing in Waterloo, Iowa. One of the questions that was asked caught me a little off guard. The question was about quat binding. It caught me off guard not because it was a bad question, but only because it was not something I had previously been asked nor had not yet been exposed to the phenomenon. However, I soon learned that in certain jurisdictions, it is resulting in changes to how sanitizing cloths are to be stored in sanitizing buckets (or not) in the foodservice industry. When I returned home from the trip, I had to dig into it to learn about what quat binding is and how it might impact foodservice operations.
