The Food Allergy Initiative, 1414 Avenue of the Americas,
Suite 184, New York, NY 10019, Telephone: (212) 207-Deborah L. Nurmi, MSFood combiningseeHay diet
Food contamination
Definition
Food contamination refers to foods that are
spoiled or tainted because they either contain micro-
organisms, such as bacteria or parasites, or toxic sub-
stances that make them unfit for consumption.Purpose
Food contamination is a serious issue because it
results in foodborne diseases that each year affect an
estimated seventy-six million people in the United
States, while leading to some 325,000 hospitalizations
and 5,000 deaths. Hence, awareness of potential sour-
ces of food contamination is an important component
of good nutrition.Description
Food contamination can be microbial or environ-
mental, with the former being more common. Environ-
mental contaminants that can enter the food supply
chain include pesticides, heavy metals, and other chem-
ical agents. Many opportunities exist for food to
become contaminated as it is produced and distributed.
Toistartwith,bacteriaarepresentintheanimalsraised
for food. Meat and poultry can become contaminated
during slaughter through cross-contamination from
intestinal fecal matter. Similarly, fresh fruits and vege-
tables can be contaminated if they are washed using
water contaminated with animal manure or human
sewage. During food processing, contamination is also
possible from infected food handlers. Lastly, poor
hygiene in the home is also a factor.Bacterial food contamination
Many bacteria can contaminate food. The most
common include the following:
Campylobacter jejuni. Mishandling of raw poultry
and consumption of undercooked poultry are the
main causes ofC. jejunicontamination.Clostridium botulinum. Bacteria producing a toxin in
food responsible for botulism, the deadly paralytic
nerve illness.
Escherichia coli. A leading cause of food contamina-
tion. Based on a 1999 estimate, 73,000 cases of infec-
tion and 61 deaths occur in the United States each
year. TheE. coli0157:H7 strain is found in ground
beef, raw milk, chicken, vegetables, and fruit.
Salmonella typhimurium. Salmonella contamination
can occur in meats, poultry, eggs or milk products.
Shigella. The most common food that these bacteria
can contaminate include: salads (potato, chicken, sea-
food, vegetable), raw vegetables, milk and other dairy
products, and meat products especially poultry.
Staphylococcus aureus. Can be found in custard or
cream-filled baked goods, ham, poultry, eggs, potato
salad, cream sauces, sandwich fillings.
Vibrio cholera. These bacteria cause the well-known
disease cholera that has caused many outbreaks all
over the world. It can be transmitted by water or food.
Vibrio vulnificus. Free-living ocean bacteria that can
cause food borne illnesses from contaminated seafood.
Especially dangerous in the warm weather months
when eating shellfish that are undercooked or raw.Cutting boards and food safety- Type of boards
Choose either wood or a nonporous surface cutting board such as
plastic, marble, glass, or pyroceramic. Nonporous surfaces are easier to
clean than wood. - Avoid cross-contamination
Use one cutting board for fresh produce and bread and a separate one
for raw meat, poultry, and seafood. This will prevent bacteria on a cutting
board that is used for raw meat, poultry, or seafood from contaminating
a food that requires no further cooking. - Cleaning cutting boards
To keep all cutting boards clean, wash them with hot, soapy water after
each use; then rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean
paper towels. Nonporous acrylic, plastic, or glass boards and solid wood
boards can be washed in a dishwasher (laminated boards may crack and
split).
Both wooden and plastic cutting boards can be sanitized with a solution
of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water.
Flood the surface with the bleach solution and allow it to stand for
several minutes. Rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean
paper towels. - Replace worn cutting boards
All plastic and wooden cutting boards wear out over time. Once cutting
boards become excessively worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves, they
should be discarded.
SOURCE: Food Safety and Inspections Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture
(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale.)Food contamination