July 4th Food Safety Quiz – Test Your Knowledge

Foodborne illnesses increase during the summer because not only does bacteria multiply faster in warmer temperatures, but preparing food outdoors makes safe food handling more challenging.

A food hazard is any agent that has the potential to pose a threat to human health or cause illness. Food hazards are generally classified by their sources:

• Biological hazards include bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
• Chemical hazards include natural toxins and chemical contaminants (cleaning and sanitizing agents, natural toxins, drugs, food additives, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and other toxins).
• Physical hazards are foreign objects which include glass, metal, plastic, bone chips, hair, insects, pest droppings, etc.
• Food allergens are a sub-category of natural toxins within chemical hazards.

Bacteria grows most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40°F and 140°F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes.

Although foodborne illness can affect anyone, young adults are the least susceptible. Other groups have a greater risk, such as: infants, the elderly, cancer patients, diabetes patients, pregnant women, and other people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS, diabetes, or an organ transplant.

According to FDA, you should use plain soap and water, rub your hands together to make a lather, and scrub them well for at least 20 seconds.

The bacteria and viruses that cause the most illnesses are Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Salmonella, Shigella, E.coli. These pathogens are responsible for the vast majority of illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S.

The only way to know food has been cooked to a safe internal temperature is to use a food thermometer.

According to the USDA, cook all poultry (whole, pieces, and ground) to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F – as measured with a food thermometer.

Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to a minimum internal temperature of 160°F  – as measured by a food thermometer.

The USDA recommends cooking pork to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F – as measured by a food thermometer.

According to the USDA, seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F – as measured by a food thermometer – and appear opaque and separate easily with a fork.

E coli. is the bacteria most often associated with undercooked beef and hamburger. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. When cattle are slaughtered and processed, E. coli bacteria in their intestines can get on the meat. If the pathogens are present when meat is ground, then more of the meat surface is exposed to the harmful bacteria. Infection symptoms include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, and abdominal cramps – accompanied with nausea and vomiting.

Salmonella is the greatest food illness risk found in undercooked or raw chicken. Salmonella are bacteria found in the digestive tracts of animals and humans and are shed through feces. Symptoms of infection are generally typical of gastroenteritis (diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain) – along with fever, chills, and headache.

Raw shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels) can be contaminated with a variety of foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, Norovirus, and Vibrio vulnificus – and can put you at a high risk for infections. Because shellfish are filter feeders and concentrate virus particles present in their environment, shellfish become contaminated when their waters are polluted with raw sewage.

Follow the 2-hour rule: Do not let perishable food sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If the temperature is above 90 degrees, limit that time to only 1 hour.

Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour if temperature outside is above 90°F). According to the USDA, leftovers need to be re-heated to an internal temperature of at least 165°F – as measured with a food thermometer – for 15 seconds or more – in order to kill any bacteria.