Food Safety Bulletin
Charity Wilson
SCI/220
May 2, 2011
Professor Zam Poller Food Safety Bulletin
Consumers in Hawaii want safe food, but how can the public be safe if there is a gap between the amount of regulation food purchasers’ want, and the food safety rules that farmers are willing to implement. On the heels of the recent drastic rise in food-borne illness, food safety is on everyone’s minds. Here in this food safety bulletin are some common safety issues related to food purchase, storage, and presentation. In addition, some illnesses or problems the safety issues may cause, ways to prevent food-borne illness, and some recommendations to sources of nutritional information to help educate the public about appropriate food safety.
The public (consumers, food service workers) needs to be aware of where our food comes from and how the food is processed and handled. More important, we need to be sure those animals from which are food is made are being raised in clean, safe living conditions. In addition, people should buy food with proper packaging and labels (brand names, trademarks), together with place of origin and quality.
To start, we live in an infectious world, and present are many chances for food to become tainted as it is produced and prepared. Food-borne illnesses are results from consuming foods or beverages, which have been contaminated with germs. Meat and poultry can become contaminated in the course of slaughter by contact with small amounts of intestinal contents. Fruits and vegetables can be tainted when rinsed with water contaminated with animal dung or human sewage. Thus eggs, and certain types of produce can become contaminated with salmonella, which occurs throughout growth or in the course of processing and distribution. Finally yet important, contamination of foods may also happen during food preparation in a restaurant or even a home kitchen.
For instance, not washing hands thoroughly before coming in contact with food, particularly after using the restroom can definitely contaminate foods. Contamination can occur after smoking, coughing, sneezing, and in between preparing raw and cooked foods. The norovirus in particular, is a common virus usually transmitted from the feces to the mouth, either by drinking or eating contaminated food or beverages or by passing from person to person. In other words, foods can be contaminated with human feces as a result from not washing hands. To learn more about norovirus food poisoning, visit FoodborneIllness.com.
The best ways to prevent food-borne illness is to wash hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water before and after touching raw meat (poultry, fish, produce, or eggs), especially after using the restroom, touching animals, or even changing diapers. In addition, use gloves when preparing foods, and instead of bare hands, use utensils for handling the food. Furthermore, because consumers are usually unaware of how our food (fresh fruits or vegetables) are processed and handled, make a habit of rinsing all fresh fruits and vegetables under running water just before consumption, cutting, or cooking.
For more information regarding ways to prevent food-borne illnesses, check out the online website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The website also has contact information; address (to write a letter to CDC), e-mail address, and even phone contact information, to speak to someone directly, which is available 24 hours every day.
Today people use the Internet to obtain current health and nutrition information. However, the Internet seems to contain endless amounts of data available, often making it difficult to distinguish what information is true. Therefore, make sure the nutrition websites are not fraudulent. Research the website to see if the site is joined with a known nationwide health organization, such as the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), or the American Medical Association (AMA). Moreover, try discovering if the individual providing the advice possesses credentials in health and nutrition from an accredited college or university (Cleveland Clinic, 2011).
In conclusion, it is very important to know that only some information is reliable. If we make a decision based on wrong or unreliable health information, we may eat something harmful that we believed to be safe. Similar to any other source, the power of the author helps establish the importance of the information. Be cautious of sites that issue information without letting readers know if the information is a personal point-of-view.

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Healthy Living. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyLiving
Cleveland Clinic. (2011). Heart and Vascular Health & Prevention. Retrieved from http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/askdietician/ask7_01.aspx