Was it something you ate? Chances are that bout of indigestion or full blown stomach cramps wasn’t caused by a ‘touch of the flu.’ Food borne illness caused by harmful bacteria or other pathogens is a common occurrence. Statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate there’s 76 million cases of food borne illness in the U.S. each year.
While no one knows how many of those cases were caused by restaurant foods, a CDC analysis of national food borne outbreak surveillance data shows that 52% of outbreaks reported between 1998 and 2004 were associated with restaurants, delis, cafeterias and hotels. Of course the restaurant industry is all for reducing these numbers and has stepped up efforts to train employees in food safety. And with government sanitation inspection scores on display for customers to see, it’s good business to get good grades, “I wouldn’t eat anywhere with a sanitation score lower than an A,” says noted food safety expert Missy Cody, Ph.D RD, professor emeritus at Georgia State University.
Some foods are riskier than others. Raw or undercooked meats (especially ground meat), poultry and eggs should be avoided as well as unpasteurized dairy products such as raw milk and cheeses. And these foods should be prepared separately to avoid cross contamination of other foods. For instance, cooks should never cut up a raw chicken and then use the same knife to slice into a tomato they’ll toss in the salad. Then again, maybe tomatoes should be handled more carefully, too.
A report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, summarized outbreak data from the CDC and identified 10 foods regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration most often linked to food borne diseases. (Meat and poultry is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.) They include leafy greens, eggs, tuna, oysters, potatoes, cheese, ice cream, tomatoes, sprouts and berries. “Raw oysters are no surprise” says Cody, “there are already warnings on restaurant menus alerting diners raw shellfish poses a health risk. As for the other foods, a savvy consumer can’t eliminate risk, but they can reduce it.”
Leafy greens, tomatoes, sprouts- Since you're not going to ask for your salad to be cooked, fruits and vegetables eaten raw are a concern today with outbreaks traced to produce grown or processed in unsanitary conditions. Thorough washing can reduce contamination but does not eliminate it entirely. It's hard to scrub a raspberry. That's why keeping produce properly chilled (under 40 degrees Fahrenheit) is important to retard further growth of bacteria. A cold salad is a safer salad. Cody advises, "If any of the salad greens are soft and mushy or look deteriorated send the salad back and tell them you don't want another one!"
Eggs- "No sunny side up eggs anymore," says Cody, "or undercooked scrambled eggs, unless they're made with a pasteurized egg product. And beware of breakfast places that keep raw eggs near the hot griddle. The heat will make salmonella, which may be in the eggs, grow much faster."
Tuna- Illnesses are associated with scombroid toxins, which grow if fish is kept above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but cannot be destroyed by cooking.
Oysters- Raw oysters associated with illness and death caused by novovirus or vibrio vulnificus bacteria.
Potatoes- Outbreaks associated with deli potato salad made with homemade mayonnaise containing raw eggs.
Cheese- A serious infection caused by Listeria can be prevented by avoiding raw cheeses.
Ice cream- Commercial processing errors that mixed salmonella contaminated raw eggs with ice cream batches or use of raw eggs in homemade ice cream.
5 Signs Restaurant is Serving Safe Foods:
1. Dining room is clean. If tables, chairs, utensils and glasses aren’t clean chances are things aren’t too clean in the kitchen either.
2. Restrooms are clean. This is an important indicator. Attention to detail is a very good thing.
3. Staff dressed neat and clean. Food handlers should wear clean gloves and not touch their face or hair.
4. Health inspection sanitation certificate displayed. If they don’t make the grade, make tracks!
5. Cold food is cold and the hot food is hot. Luke warm foods lurk in the danger zone, where bacteria love to grow-40 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Doggie Bags: Taking Care of Carryout
Ok. So it’s not really for your dog. Take care of that food on your way home.
· Leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours, one hour if over 90 degrees outside.
· Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees, until hot and steaming.
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