DIET 313

What is bioterrorism?

It is the intentional or threatened use of bacteria,fungi,viruses or toxins from living organisms to produce death or disease in humans,animals or plants and involves the intimidation of nations or people to accomplish political or social ends

Codex Alimentarius literally means 'food code' in Latin.

True

What method did the ancient Greeks and Romans use to preserve food around 500 BC?

Immersing food in honey (jam/jelly)

Codex recommendations have full statutory (legal) force in all member countries.

False

During which phase of bacterial growth do nutrients become depleted and toxic metabolic products accumulate?

Stationary phase

Acrylamide is an example of a chemical food contaminant that can form within the food itself during preparation with high heat.

True

Perishable foods must be refrigerated within two hours (or one hour if the temperature is over 90°F).

True

To what internal temperature should food be microwaved to be considered safe?

165°F (73.9°C)

It is safe to thaw or marinate foods on the kitchen counter at room temperature.

False

How long should you wash your hands with warm water and soap to prevent food contamination?

20 seconds

Scopes of bioterrorism

Biological agents

Nuclear agents

Chemical agents

The categories of bioterrorism

Category A(anthrax,smallpox)

Category B(salmonella,vibrio cholerae)

Category C(HIV,hanta virus,nipah virus,coronavirus)

Parameters on which bioterrorists are classified

Lethality

Morbidity

Mortality

Toxicity

Targets of bioterrorism attacks

Crops

Livestock

Storage facilities

Wholesale and retail facilities

Transportation

Food products in processing and distribution chain

Food and agricultural research laboratories

Purposes why terrorists use biological weapons

To create mass casualties

To create and maintain panic and confusion

To disrupt normal routine

Shut down and contaminate facilities

A bulging canned good is safe to purchase as long as it is within the “sell-by” date.

False

Bioterrorist agents are always synthetic and cannot be found in nature.

False

How to ensure food safety from bioterrorism

Prevention

Detection

Response

As a dietitian educating consumers, what should people check regarding food packaging?

Carefully examine all parts of the food package

Check for anti tampering devices on package

Do not purchase if the package looks damaged or unusual

Check the sell by dates on the products

Full meaning of CDC

Centers for disease, control and prevention

Why was the HACCP formed/created

To develop safe foods for the United States space programme

Which organizations collaborated to create the HACCP

Pillsbury company, United States Army and NASA

What is a step

The point/procedure or stage in the food chain including raw ingredients from the primary production to the final consumption

What is flow diagram

The systematic representation of the sequence of steps used in the production of a particular food item

What is control

A situation where correct measures are being followed and criteria are being met

What is control measure

Any action or activity that can be used to prevent food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level

What is critical control point

A step at which control can be applied to eliminate food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level

What is monitor

The act of conducting a planned sequence of observations to assess whether a CCP is under control

What is hazard

A chemical, biological or physical agent in food with potential to cause adverse effects in health

What is corrective action

Action to be taken when the results of monitoring at CCP indicates loss of control

What is critical limit

A criterion which separates acceptability from unacceptability

What is deviation

Failure to meet critical limit

What is hazard analysis

The process of collecting and evaluating information on hazards and conditions leading to their presence to decide which is significant for food safety and be addressed in the HACCP plan

What is HACCP

A system which identifies, evaluates and controls hazards for food safety

What is validation

Obtaining evidence that the elements of the HACCP plan are effective

What are the 7 principles of HACCP

Conduct hazard analysis

Determine CCP

Establish critical limit

Establish monitoring procedures

Establish corrective actions

Establish verification procedures

Establish records and documentation procedures

2 main criteria used to set critical limit

Objectives (temperature, time, pH, moisture)

Subjectives (visual observation, texture)

Advantages of HACCP

Prevents food safety problems

Can be applied throughout the food chain

Ensures timely response to food safety problems

Identifies specific hazards and measures for their control

Disadvantages of HACCP

Time consuming

Expensive

What is food according to the food laws

Food is any substance or product whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed intended to be or reasonably be expected to be ingested by humans

Food availability and accessibility is a fundamental human right

True

What is food law

Food law is a term that refers to the regulations that regulates the production, trade and handling of food

The 2 parts of food law

Basic food act

Regulations

The United States food law has divided food industry into 5 sectors. Name them

Consumer

Retail and food services

Food processing

Production agriculture

Input suppliers for production agriculture

Importance of food law

Serves to define what is expected as minimum

Provides the legal framework for establishing food safety control infrastructure

Important means by which food safety policies are ensured

High level protection of health

Defines what is safe and unwholesome for consumption

Fundamentals of food laws

Consumer protection

Responsible ministry/ authority

International and regional harmonization and trade

9 ways Ghana food laws can be grouped

Prohibition of sale of unwholesome food

Prohibition of sale of poor quality food

Food offered as a prize

Standard of foods

Food unfit for consumption

Mandatory fortification of salt

Deception of consumers

Manufacture of food under supervision

Sale of food under unsanitary conditions

What are the penalties on offenses committed of food law

Fine (not exceeding 500 penalty units)

Term of imprisonment (not more than 2 years)

Closure of premises

Who were the first to develop “silos”

Ancient Egyptians

What is a silo

A storage tank used to hold grains after harvest from fields

What is the oldest method of preserving food

Sun-drying (12,000 BC)

What is the mechanism of sun-drying

Foods are spread in the sun and allowed to dry and the moisture content in the food evaporates due to the heat of the sun

Advantages of sun-drying

In-expensive

Disadvantages of sun-drying

Tedious and inconvenient

The foods were not equally dry

Requires constant monitoring

Not environmentally friendly

Spoilt the flavor and taste of food

Required lots of time

Mechanism of jam

Foods are put in honey to preserve them

Mechanism of curing foods

Foods are out inside brine (Salt solution) and the water content in the food moves into the solution triggered by osmosis

How did canning come about

In the early 1800’s Napoleon Bonaparte offered a reward to anyone who could come up with a way of preserving his soldiers foods. Nicholas Appert suggested putting foods in cans, sealing and boiling them until he thought it was cooked.

Who is named as the father of canning

Nicholas Appert

Who is Louis Pasteur

He was a French chemist and microbiologist who worked on pasteurization and fermentation

How did the regulatory era come about

President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the full inspection of the meat packing industry. This led to the pure food and drug act and the meat inspection act of 1906

Some food safety problems which gave rise to regulations

Labeling issues

Misleading labels

Exaggerated advertising

Unsanitary conditions of food on sale

Inadequate nutrient composition

Food poisoning

When was the codex alimentarius commission established

Early November 1961

The CAC comprises of which 2 bodies

FAO and WHO

Some international food regulatory bodies

US FDA

EU

European food safety authority

United States department of agriculture

National food regulatory bodies

FDA

Ghana standard authority

Factors that cause food deterioration

Light

Low temperature

High temperature

Pests

Moisture

Dryness

Oxygen

Enzymes

What is food safety

The proper handling of food at all steps of the food chain from production to consumption to eliminate the likelihood of illness or injury

What is food contamination

Food contamination refers to food that has been corrupted with foreign substances either biological, chemical or physical which can cause illness or injury

Classification of food contaminants

Biological contaminants

Chemical contaminants

Physical contaminants

Biological contaminants are living creatures such as;

Humans

Pests

Microorganisms

What are mycotoxins

The are poisonous substances released by certain fungi

What are enterotoxins

They are toxic chemicals produced by some microorganisms specially bacteria that targets the intestines

Chemical contamination can include

Household chemicals

Chemicals used in cleaning kitchen

Chemicals from the environment

Nutrient and chemical interactions in food and gut

Production processes

Physical contamination can cause emotional upset to the person who finds it

True

Examples of physical contaminants

Hair

Nails

Stones

Metal fragments

Dangerous microorganisms and parasites

Bacteria

Mold

Viruses

Parasites

Bacterial growth cures starts at zero because all food are initially contamination free

False

What is the lag phase in bacterial growth curve

The period of adjustment to the environment

What is the logarithmic growth phase

The period where growth begins and accelerates to a rapid constant exponential growth

What is the stationary phase in bacterial growth curve

The phase where growth is slowed down and cell division equals cell death

What is death stage

Population decreases due to death of cells

4 major ways of preventing food contamination

Washing

Cooking

Separation

Refrigeration

What is cross contamination

The physical transfer of harmful bacteria from one point to another

Food danger zone

Temperature ranges between 40•F-140•F (4.4•C-60•C) where bacteria multiplies rapidly

Formulas for converting •F to •C and vice versa

•F- •C= •F-32×5/9

•C-•F= •C+32×9/5