Foodborne Illnesses

What is a foodborne illness?

• Caused by the consumption of food or beverages that are contaminated with infectious or noninfectious agents

• Examples of these agents are usually: viruses, bacteria or parasites

Common Foods that carry Food Borne Illnesses

Eggs

• Res. should use pasteurized eggs to decrease risk of foodborne illness

• Uncooked eggs should be kept 41 degrees Fahrenheit

• Utensils and equipment used w/ raw eggs should be cleaned

Chicken

• Causes illness from salmonella and campylobacter germs

• Get rid of bacteria, cook chicken to an internal temp. of 165 degrees Fahrenheit

• Use a separate cutting board to use when preparing raw chicken

• Wash equipment and sanitize used for raw chicken after use

Leafy Vegetables

• Often the cause of consumption of uncooked fresh and produce

• Avoid using leafy greens that show signs of rot or damage

• Cut leafy greens should be refrigerated at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or less

• Res. should keep complete records of their purchased leafy greens to traceback and investigate if an outbreak occurs

Ground Beef

• Causes food borne illnesses that come from E. coli

• Ground beef should be cooked to 155 degrees Fahrenheit for 17 seconds

• Surfaces and equipment that have been used for ground beef should be cleaned and sanitized

• Employees should wash their hands immediately after handing raw ground beef to avoid contamination of other things

Tomatoes

• Commonly linked to outbreaks of salmonella

• Should be washed under running water that is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit

• Cut tomatoes should be refrigerated at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower if being kept for more than 4 hours

Food pathogen video:

https://www.pbs.org/video/emerging-science-food-pathogens/