Unit One: Food Safety Lesson Two: FDA & Foodborne Illness
Prevention
Food and Drug Administration & Outbreaks
What is the FDA?The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a
federal government regulatory agency which is responsible for
protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and
security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products,
medical devices, our nations food supply, cosmetics, and products
that emit radiation.
FDAs Role in preventing foodborne illness:The FDA oversees the
safety of domestic and imported foods through monitoring programs
for pathogens, natural toxins, pesticides, and other contaminants
and through the assessment of potential exposure risk. Monitors and
inspects food products to ensure compliance with food safety
standards and inspection regulation. Oversees imports and exports
of foods to ensure they are safe.Performs risk assessments and
determines where the risks of contamination are based on scientific
evidence and calculations, then the FDA predicts the best ways of
preventing contaminations by specific substances in certain
foods.
FDAs Public Health InterventionsThe FDA provides specific
recommendations from controlling the common risk factors for
foodborne illness. These are known as public health interventions
and are designed to protect public health. The following are the
public health interventions: Demonstration of knowledge.Staff
health controls.Controlling hands as a vehicle of
contamination.Time and temperature parameters for controlling
pathogens. Consumer advisories.
Demonstration of knowledge As a manager or owner of a
restaurant, you must be able to show that you know what to do to
keep food safe from foodborne illness and other dangers. One way to
show this is to become certified in food safety.
Staff health controls Procedures must be put in place to make
sure staff are practicing personal hygiene. For example, staff must
know that they report illnesses and illness symptoms to
management.
Controlling handsControls must be put in place to prevent
bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. One way to accomplish
this would be to require employees to use tongs to handle
ready-to-eat foods.
Time and temperature parametersProcedures must be put in place
to limit the time food spends in the temperature danger zone. An
example of this would be requiring food handlers to check the
temperature of food being hot-held every two hours.
Consumer advisoriesNotices must be provided for consumers if you
serve raw or undercooked menu items.This statement must include
risks involved with consuming these types of foods.
Foodborne Illness Outbreaks
What is a foodborne illness outbreak? When two or more people
have the same symptoms after eating the same food product or from
the same food service operation, public health authorities consider
it an outbreak. The EXCEPTION is botulism. Because of the severity
of the illness a single case is considered an outbreak. Botulism is
a rare but serious paralytic illnesses by a nerve toxin that is
produced be the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. An investigation
is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities. The
outbreak is confirmed by a laboratory analysis.
Who responds to outbreaks?Local agencies: most foodborne
outbreaks are local events. Public health officials in just one
city or county health department will investigate these outbreaks.
State agencies: The state health department investigates outbreaks
that spread across several cities or counties. This department
often works with the state department of agriculture and with
federal food safety agencies. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC): For outbreaks that involve large numbers of
people or severe illnesses, a state may ask for help from the CDC.
The CDC usually leads the investigations of widespread
outbreaksthose that affects many states at once. Federal regulatory
agencies: The CDC collaborates with the FDA, the USDAs Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS), or the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), throughout all the phases of an outbreak
investigation. In the case of a foodborne illness outbreak, these
federal agencies work to find out why it occurred, take steps to
control it, and look for ways to prevent future outbreaks. They may
trace foods to their origins, test foods, assess food safety
measures in restaurants and food processing facilities, lead farm
investigations, and/or announce food recalls.
ActivitySuppose you are asked by your employer to create a rap,
skit, or song that explains foodborne illness, role of the FDA, or
procedures followed in the case of a foodborne outbreak to a middle
school class who will be visiting in the coming week. Gather in
groups and use what you have learned in Unit 3: Food Safety to
complete this activity. Be sure to include key terms and the
information from the lectures. Share your creation to the class!Be
creative and have fun!
null7245.8076null28212.123null59147.516null35410.13null24558.79null18032.516null18324.074null21523.459null17575.025null5799.189null47164.31null93583.35null28943.541
