Nutrition News & Views

March 31, 1997
Nutrition News & Views March 1997

Contents

FOOD SAFETY NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Thanks to all those that completed the Food Safety Needs Assessment Survey in the January newsletter. I received 14 responses. It is not too late for you to provide your input. If you did not complete the survey and planned to, go ahead and do so and send it to me. Your thought are greatly needed and appreciated. Thanks!!!

FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION
As we find reference books that are especially helpful to us we have tried to pass the information to you. One that has been extremely helpful and is very affordable is Food Lover's Companion. It is a comprehensive guide to definitions of more than 3,000 food, wine, and culinary terms. Published by: Barron's Educational Series. $19.95 soft. ISBN: 0-8120-4156-9. 1991. 582 pp. It can be ordered through your local book store.

MIRACLE THAW PLATTER - FTC CONSUMER ALERT
Questions about the safety of the kitchen gadget Miracle Thaw Platter continue to surface. A copy the Federal Trade Commission's consumer alert pertaining to this device is attached.

FREQUENCY OF FOODBORNE INFECTIONS WILL INCREASE

Public health experts agree that the frequency of foodborne infections will increase in the United States in the future; they can even identify some of the causes. One key element is the shift to a diet that includes more fruits, vegetables, and grains. Many of these fruits and vegetables are imported, bringing exotic pathogens with them. Mass food production and a global food market mean that even with an attack rate of less than 5% a pathogen can sicken thousands of people. Increased consumption of organic food grown in animal manure may also be contributing to the problems, and there are essentially no regulations related to the use of animal manure in agriculture. Escherichia coli can survive for 70 days in cow manure and can then multiply in food grown with the manure. Government agencies have worked together to create a foodborne disease surveillance network at five sites (Atlanta, parts of California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Oregon) and are considering requiring producers of fresh fruits and vegetable juices to pasteurize their products. The use of chemical solutions to decontaminate fresh produce and institution of quality control programs similar to those stipulated for meat and seafood producers are also being debated. One epidemiologist says, however, that food irradiation, already endorsed by a number of organizations, offers the best chance to prevent future foodborne outbreaks. Stephenson, J. 1997. Public Health Experts Take Aim at a Moving Target: Foodborne Infections. JAMA 277(2):97-98.

DISINFECTING THE KITCHEN

Scientist form the University of Arizona in Tucson have found that there are more harmful bacteria in kitchens than in bathrooms. Even Escherichia coli, a product of fecal contamination, can be found more often in the kitchen sponges, dish towels, sinks, and countertops than on toilet rims. Most sponges and dishrags harbor large numbers of virulent bacteria. Even stainless steel can be colonized by bacteria, and both plastic and wooden cutting boards are hospitable to microbes. There are ways of cleaning these materials. Sponges and dishrags can be disinfected in the microwave--one minute or a damp sponge and three minutes for a damp dishrag. Scrubbing with detergent removes the food and microbial material on metal surfaces. Hand scrubbing with soap and water can eliminate microbes from the surface of wooden cutting boards but it takes 10 minutes of microwave heating to kill the bacteria below the surface of the board. A normal cycle in the dishwasher will sterilize plastic cutting boards. Vigilant attention to basic cleanliness is of course necessary; a recent FDA study found that 26% of US consumers don't bother to clean cutting boards after using them for raw meat or chicken.

Raloff, J. 1996. Sponges and Sinks and Rags, Oh My! Where Microbes Lurk and How to Rout Them. Science News 150(11):172-173

(NOTE: Due to the differences in microwaves, the recommendation to disinfect dish rags and sponges in the microwave is controversial.)

DRINKING UNPASTEURIZED APPLE CIDER IS RISKY

Three outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness in October 1996 involving more than 100 people were associated with consumption of unpasteurized apple cider. One outbreak occurred in the Western U.S. and Canada but two others were in the Northeast. Fourteen people living in six towns in Connecticut became ill after drinking fresh cider made at a local cider mill using apples purchased from multiple sources, some of them "drop" apples (apples picked up from the ground). All apples were brushed and washed in potable municipal water and potassium sorbate was added as a perservative. Stool tests from ill people confirmed that the outbreak was due toE. coli 0157:H7. At least 20 people in Cortland County, New York, developed gastroenteritis due to Crytosporidium after drinking unpasteurized apple cider from a mill which purchased all apples from one orchard. The orchard owner reported that no drop apples were sold to the mill. The mill, however, was across the street from a dairy farm and apples were washed with water from a well on the property in which E. coli was detected. Both Cryptosporidium and E. coli are acid tolerant and able to survive in apple cider from some weeks; it takes pasteurization and boiling to kill the organisms.

Mshar, P.A. et al. 1996. Outbreaks of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Cryptosporidiosis Associated with Drinking unpasteurized Apple Cider--Connecticut and New York. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 46(1): 4-8

REDUCING THE RISK OF E. COLI IN APPLE CIDER - IFT BACK PAGE
A copy of the Institute of Food Technology Back Page "Reducing the Risk of E. coli in Apple Cider" is attached. It provides background information about E.coli in fresh apple cider and some steps that can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of illness.

SAFE HANDLING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Although not commonly associated with food poisoning, fruits and vegetables can harbor disease-causing bacteria. The attached article, "Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables," from the March 1997 FDA Consumer gives tips for handling fruits and vegetables. It has be specially designed for posting or making copies. Permission is not required to reprint.

ENCLOSURES

(Unless otherwise noted, the eclosures were mailed directly to the Extension office)

  • Miracle Thaw Platter - FTC Consumer Alert
  • Reducing Risk of E. coli in Apple Cider - Food Technology, December 1996
  • Safe Handling of Fruits and Vegetables - FDA Consumer, March 1997
Melissa Mixon, Ph.D., R.D., L.D.
Human Nutrition Specialist

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