Protecting Food Safety

1
Protecting Food Safety

• From naturally occurring sources
• Cholesterol
• From intentional contamination
• Food terrorism

Chapters 10 and 11 Knutson, Penn and Flinchbaugh
25
2
Who is responsible for a safe food supply?

• Buyer beware
• FDA
• Processed
• Food service
• USDA

3
Food Security Dimensions

• Producing a sufficient quantity (before 9/11)
• Protecting individual food needs (before 9/11)
• Protecting food safety (after 9/11)

4
Protecting Food Safety

• Whos job is it?
• USDA inspects red meats, poultry, and processed
  eggs (1/4 of food) domestic
• 74 billion -- 899 million food safety
• 8,000 inspectors
• FDA inspects seafood, cooked, canned and baked
  products, whole eggs, produce and animal feed
  (3/4 of food) both domestic and imported. Also
  inspects animal feed and its label.
• 1.7 billion
• 1,550 inspectors -- 20.5 million food safety

5
Protecting Food Safety

• Inspection of imported fresh produce
• 1993
• 13.8 billion pounds
• 2-3 inspected
• 2000
• 20.2 billion pounds
• 2-3 inspected
• None of domestic fruits veg. inspected unless a
  disease outbreak
• If outbreak trace food to its origin

6
Protecting Food Safety

• Food borne illness 1993-1997
• 2,751 outbreaks
• 12,537 individual cases involving fruits and
  vegetables
• 6,709 cases involving meats
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• 76 million people get sick from food each year
• 300,000 are hospitalized
• 5,000 die each year

7
Protecting Food Safety

• Fruit and vegetable contamination with E. coli,
  O157H7, salmonella and Listeria
• Imported green onions with hepatitis A
• Chi Chis Mexican restaurant in Western Penn
• 550 infected Fall 2003
• 3 died
• Other Cases
• Cyclospore parasites in Guatemala raspberries
• Salmonella infected sprouts
• E. coli tainted lettuce and apple cider

8
Protecting Food Safety

• High levels of pesticides on imported vegetables
  and fruits also of concern
• FDA can not physically inspect all imports
• Lacks testing capabilities for all chemicals

9
Protecting Food Safety

• USDA meat inspectors
• Inspector on site during operating hours at
  packing plants
• 6,500 slaughter houses in the USA
• Monitor meat for signs of fecal matter and other
  problems
• USDA can not force plant closure
• But it can with hold USDA inspection stamp
• USDA can also remove inspectors
• Closed 127 plants for violating HCCP plans

10
Protecting Food Safety

• FDAs 2004 proposed budget
• 20.5 million for food safety and counter
  terrorism
• Expanded number of inspectors by 900
• Brings number up to 1,550 to inspect ¾ food
• Counter terrorism is justification
• Inspectors at 90 of 317 official ports of entry
• FDA presumes that all is well until something
  goes wrong
• If someone gets sick, they start tracing

11
Most Likely Sources of Intentional Contamination

• Salad bars
• Fruits and vegetables (supermarkets)
• Employees (any level of food chain)

12
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)

• Background Federally inspected meat packing
  plants
• 1907-96 Inspections in plant using senses of
  sight, smell and touch
• 1985 FDA began to apply HACCP to processed foods
  (other than meat and poultry)
• 1995 FSIS published HACCP regulations

13
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)

• Science based system of hazard analysis critical
  control point (HACCP) procedures designed to
  minimize and detect pathogens

14
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)

• HACCP Procedures
• Assess system (plant) for hazards
• Determine critical control points required to
  identify hazards
• Establish procedures to
  monitor
• Take corrective actions

15
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)

• HACCP Issues
• Application at other levels of channel
• Rancher
• Feed lot
• Trucker
• Packer (covered)
• Point of sale (retailer/butcher shop/fast food
  operator
• Authority for trace back
• Application to fresh fruits and vegetables
• Impacts on structure

16
Pesticides and Food Additive Safety

• Delaney Clause (1958 Food Additives Amendment)
• Zero tolerance
• Proved unworkable due to technology
• Food Quality Protection Act of 1996
• Reasonable certainty of no harm as the standard
  for determining an acceptable level of risk