PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY FROM FOOD POISONING
Apr. 1998
Good Housekeeping
Donna Christiano
p. 68
When it comes to avoiding food poisoning, according
to this story, most people know not to eat their burgers medium-rare. But
the cantaloupe in the fruit salad, the lettuce in the grocery stores
produce section, and the unpasteurized apple juice in the fridge are all
safe, right? Actually, the story says, produce isnt immune to
disease-causing agents, including E. coli O157:H7. and the story says that
more and more cases appear to be related to produce. One possible reason:
Fresh fruit and vegetable consumption has risen by nearly 50 percent since
1970. And fresh produce is susceptible to contamination. Dirt the food is
grown in and water its irrigated with can be contaminated with E.
coli-containing manure. Once the produce is harvested, it can be tainted
at any point from the farm to your table. The good news is, the publicity
about recent outbreaks and lawsuits against manufacturers may raise safety
standards. Judith Foulke, a spokesperson for the Food and Drug
Administrations (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, was
quoted as saying, The death of a child is serious business, and industry
has taken notice. The story notes Presidential efforts to bolster food
safety resources, and says the FDA may require juice manufacturers to
institute a program in which potential glitches in the production
processes are identified, and steps taken to avoid them. In the meantime,
the FDA is requiring labels on unpasteurized products (about 2 percent of
all juices fall into this category, and labelling is voluntary), warning
consumers about the risk of bacterial contamination. Foulke was further
quoted as saying that, produce irradiation has only been approved to
prevent sprouting and ripening. Lettuce would wilt and berries would be
mush if we irradiated them enough to kill E coli. **** Included among the
steps to reduce your familys risk of infection: When purchasing
prepackaged salad, stick with large manufacturers, like Dole, Ready Pac,
and Fresh Express.*** ---snip---Wash your produce with running water for
15 to 30 seconds, and clean it with a vegetable brush. Do this even for
prewashed, prepackaged lettuce and fruit you peel, such as, oranges,
bananas, and melons (bacteria can survive on the skin and be pushed into
the fruit when cut open). After touching raw meat, seafood, fresh eggs,
or produce (or after going to the bathroom, handling a pet, or changing a
diaper), wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
Clean cutting boards and counter surfaces after preparing food, especially
raw meat. Use one teaspoon chlorine bleach mixed with one quarter hot
water. Never let your family drink unpasteurized juices or cider ***(in
general, avoid beverages that say *fresh* and those that you buy from
roadside stands).*** A piece of fruit that drops from a tree could come
into contact with bacteria-contaminated feces on the ground; without
pasteurization, that bacteria will linger on the fruit.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Marla Rhodes
Northeast Food System Partnership
Information and Outreach Coordinator
617-627-2246
mrhodes1@emerald.tufts.edu
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