399
Chapter 19 – Consumer Concerns about Foods and Water
Learning Objectives
After completing Chapter 19, the student will be able to:
1. Discuss foodborne infections and intoxications and common pathogens in each classification.
2. List methods to prevent foodborne illness during food production and service.
3. Discuss food irradiation, including benefits and risks.
Assignments and Other Instructional Materials
The following ready-to–use assignments are available in this chapter of the instructor’s manual:
• New! Case study
• Worksheet 19-1: Safe Food Practices1
• Worksheet 19-2: Chapter 19 Crossword Puzzle2
• New! Worksheet 19-3: Foodborne Illness Trends (Internet Exercise)
• New! Critical thinking questions with answers
Other instructional materials in this chapter of the instructor’s manual include:
• Answer key for How To (pp. 654-655) activity
Lecture Presentation Outline3
“Of special interest to…” symbol key: = Hot Topic = Personal Health
= Health Care Professionals = Science Majors
Key to instructor resource annotations (shown to the right of or below outline topics):
PL = Available on Power Lecture DVD-ROM (ISBN 0538797592): V = video
TRA = Transparency acetates: 12e TRA = 12th edition, 11e TRA = 11th edition, 10e TRA = 10th edition
Website = Available for download from book companion website: HN = student handout
IM = Included in this instructor’s manual: WS = worksheet, CA = classroom activity, CI = Canadian
information
Introductory/whole chapter resources: PL figure JPEGs; Test Bank; IM WS 19-2, CA 19-1
400
cooking foods at their proper temperatures and preparing them under sanitary conditions. The FDA and other
agencies focus on the potential hazards of food, the toxicity levels, and the potential risk posed to human
beings. Safety standards are set. The USDA protects the food supply.
A. Foodborne Infections and Food Intoxications IM WS 19-3
1. Foodborne Infections
2. Food Intoxications
3. Foodborne illnesses, diseases, organisms, onset, and symptoms and prevention methods.
B. Food Safety in the Marketplace IM CA 19–2, CI 19.1
1. Industry Controls PL V “Food Safety Upgrade”; 12e TRA 27
2. Consumer Awareness
a. Wash hands with hot, soapy water before meals.
C. Food Safety in the Kitchen IM WS 19-1
1. Guidelines (see “How to Prevent Foodborne Illnesses”)
a. Keep a clean, safe kitchen.
2. Safe Handling of Meats and Poultry 10e TRA 175
a. Cook meat thoroughly and use a thermometer.
b. Read labeling instructions.
c. Recommended safe temperatures 10e TRA 176; Website HN 19-1
1. Poultry breast and well–done meats: 170˚ F.
3. Mad Cow Disease
a. Can cause neurological damage to cows and humans.
b. Ground beef and sausage are more of a concern.
c. Wild game questions.
4. H1N1 Virus
5. Safe Handling of Seafood IM CI 19.4
a. Undercooked or raw seafood can cause problems such as hepatitis, worms, parasites, viruses, and
6. Other Precautions and Procedures
401
a. Abnormal odors with seafood – should smell fresh.
b. Be mindful of safe refrigeration temperatures (40 F) and storage times.
7. Foods most commonly implicated in foodborne illnesses
a. Frequently unsafe
1. Raw milk and milk products.
c. Rarely unsafe
1. Peeled fruit.
2. High-sugar foods.
3. Steaming-hot foods.
D. Food Safety While Traveling
1. Traveler’s diarrhea
2. How to achieve food safety while traveling
a. Wash hands. Use antiseptic wipes or hand gels.
E. Advances in Food Safety
1. Irradiation IM CI 19.2
a. Protection
b. Difference between irradiation and ultrahigh temperature (UHT) treatment.
c. Supported by FAO and WHO.
d. Foods approved
1. Eggs.
2. Consumer Concerns about Irradiation
3. Regulation of Irradiation
a. Labeling symbol.
b. The FDA has regulations regarding specific uses and doses.
4. Other pasteurizing systems are high-intensity pulsed light or electric beams.
402
II. Nutritional Adequacy of Foods and Diets
The marketplace provides consumers with nutrition facts and guidelines. At home, consumers can minimize
nutrient losses through proper food handling and cooking guidelines.
A. Obtaining Nutrient Information
1. Nutritional labeling regulations.
III. Environmental Contaminants
Concerns of environmental contamination are many, but hazards are relatively small. It is important to be an
informed consumer, keep alert to the possibility of contamination, and listen to public health announcements.
Eating a variety of foods is an effective defensive strategy.
A. Harmfulness of Environmental Contaminants
1. Depends on its persistence.
3. Heavy metals and organic halogens can enter the food supply.
4. Methylmercury
problems in men and women who had children with developmental issues.
B. Guidelines for Consumers
1. Hazards appear to be small.
2. Regulated by the FDA.
IV. Natural Toxicants in Foods
Many foods contain natural toxicants. It is the quantity consumed and the chemical structure of the contaminant,
not the source, that makes it hazardous.
A. Poisonous mushrooms.
B. Goitrogens in some vegetables.
A. Hazards and Regulation of Pesticides
1. Hazards of Pesticides
403
B. Monitoring Pesticides
1. Food in the Fields
a. Monitoring programs.
C. Consumer Concerns
1. Minimizing Risks
a. Trim fat and remove skin.
b. Select fruits and vegetables without holes.
2. Alternatives to Pesticides
a. Natural pesticides.
3. Organically Grown Crops IM CI 19.3
a. Produce and market organic crops.
b. USDA labeling for organic foods.
1. 100% organic ingredients may claim 100% organic and use seal.
VI. Food Additives
Many of the food additives used are preservatives. The FDA regulates the use of intentional additives.
Consumers are concerned about the incidental additives.
A. Regulations Governing Additives IM CI 19.5
1. The GRAS (generally recognized as safe) List
2. The Delaney Clause
3. Margin of Safety
a. Determined by experimental research.
404
b. 100 times below the lowest level that is found to cause harm.
4. Risks versus Benefits
a. Use the lowest amount needed to get the effect.
B. Intentional Food Additives IM CA 19-5
1. Antimicrobial Agents
a. Salt and sugar.
2. Antioxidants
a. Vitamin C (erythorbic acid, sodium ascorbate).
b. Vitamin E (tocopherol).
c. Sulfites (sulfur oxide, sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfate, potassium bisulfate, sodium metabisulfite,
and potassium metabisulfate)
1. Prevent oxidation in many processed foods.
d. BHA and BHT
1. Prevent rancidity in baked goods and snack foods.
2. Cancer link – protect in small amounts, harm in larger amounts.
3. Colors
4. Artificial Flavors and Flavor Enhancers
1. Used in Asian foods, canned vegetables, soups, and processed meats.
2. MSG symptom complex has adverse reactions in some people.
3. Must be listed on the label.
5. Sugar Alternatives
a. One of the most widely used flavor additives.
6. Texture and Stability
a. Common emulsifiers – for stabilization
1. Lecithin.
2. Alginates.
3. Mono- and diglycerides.
7. Nutrient Additives
405
a. Appropriate uses
1. Correct dietary deficiencies.
2. Restore nutrients to levels prior to storage, handling, and processing.
C. Indirect or incidental food additives enter food through harvesting, production, processing, storage, or
packaging.
1. Acrylamide
a. Causes cancer and nerve damage in high doses.
b. Found in potatoes cooked at high temperatures (french fries and potato chips, breakfast cereals,
and cookies).
c. Also classified as a genotoxicant – a substance that mutates or damages genetic materials.
2. Food Packaging
a. Active packaging is where the packaging components migrate into food.
3. Dioxins
a. Chemical pollutants created as by-products of chemical manufacturing, incineration, chlorine
4. Decaffeinated Coffee
a. Methylene chloride found in decaffeinated coffee.
b. Depends on the decaffeinating process used.
5. Hormones
a. Bovine growth hormone (BGH) in cattle to produce leaner meats and dairy cows to produce
more milk.
e. Still controversy.
6. Antibiotics
a. Given to animals and residues remain in meat and milk.
b. People with sensitivities may suffer allergic reactions.
c. Antibiotic resistance is a problem.
VII. Consumer Concerns about Water
Water may contain infectious microorganisms, environmental contaminates, pesticide residues, and additives.
The EPA monitors the safety of public water systems. Many consumers are choosing home water treatment
systems or drinking bottled water.
406
c. Refreshed by fresh rain, aeration, sunlight, plants, and microorganisms.
2. Ground water
a. Sources include underground aquifers.
B. Water Systems and Regulations IM CI 19.6
1. Home Water Treatments
2. Bottled Water
a. FDA has quality and safety standards.
VIII. Highlight: Food Biotechnology IM CA 19–6, CI Highlight
Biotechnology, with proper safeguards and controls, provides opportunities to overcome food shortages,
improve the environment, and eliminate disease.
A. The Promises of Genetic Engineering (also called genetically modified [GM] or genetically engineered
[GE] foods)
1. Extended Shelf Life – A tomato can be genetically modified to stay ripe longer.
6. Other Possibilities
B. The Potential Problems and Concerns
1. Disruption of natural ecosystems.
6. Rigorous testing and labeling.
C. FDA Regulations
1. Many foods are already genetically altered through selective breeding.
2. Many foods are not substantially different.
Case Study4
Stephanie is a 27-year-old professional woman who had a recent bout of what she describes as the “24 hour flu”
after eating out with friends one weekend. She reports feeling an upset stomach at work on Monday with an increase
407
in symptoms that evening. She then developed abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhea that lasted
all night. She called her doctor the next morning and reported what she had eaten the day before she developed
1. Based on information in Table 19-1, what symptoms would make you suspect that Stephanie had a food–borne
illness rather than the flu?
2. What foods did Stephanie ingest that are common causes of food-borne illness?
3. Based on the most frequent sources of food-borne illness listed in Table 19-1, what questions would you want
to ask Stephanie regarding her recent food intake?
4. Besides calling her doctor for persistent symptoms, what dietary measures are important for Stephanie’s
recovery?
5. Knowing that she prefers to eat rare-cooked meat, what precautionary advice could you offer Stephanie in
reference to Figure 19-5?
6. Based on this experience, give one practical action from each of the four simple rules outlined in the “How To”
section on page 654 that Stephanie can take to protect herself from food-borne illness in the future, at home or
eating out.
Answer Key:
1. Severe gastrointestinal symptoms such as upset stomach, diarrhea—including bloody diarrhea—nausea,
vomiting, abdominal cramps.
Suggested Classroom Activities
This chapter may be a good time to explore students’ concerns about foods. You may ask students to present their
concerns either verbally or in writing. Many of their concerns may be covered in the chapter.
Classroom Activity 19-1: Chapter Opening Quiz
Objective: Introduction to chapter Class size: Any
Instructions: As a way of introducing any new chapter, give a quiz to the class. This is a quiz designed to be
projected overhead. For details, please see Chapter 1, Classroom Activity 1–7.
408
Classroom Activity 19-4: Estimate Vitamin Losses
Key concept: Vitamin losses due to storage/preparation Class size: Any
Instructions: Using a 24-hour recall, have students calculate the percent of daily requirement of the B vitamins and
vitamin C that they consume if typical vitamin losses occur. For example, if a student consumes 85% of the daily
requirement for vitamin C and there is a 10% loss from poor food storage, she only consumed 75% of the
requirement for that day.
Classroom Activity 19-6: Biotechnology Debate6
Key concept: Biotechnology Class size: Small to medium
Instructions: The highlight does a great job of outlining both the pros and cons of food biotechnology. Clearly, there
is much to consider, including the environment, shelf life of the product, enhanced nutrient composition in a fast–
paced world, etc. As you learn and grow into your position as a health care professional, you will be confronted with
How To “Try It!” Activities Answer Key
How to Prevent Foodborne Illnesses
No, rinsing the cutting board in warm water is inadequate to remove or destroy microbes transferred from the raw
pork to the board. The cutting board and knife should both be washed vigorously with hot, soapy water before they
are used for the vegetables. Sterilizing the cutting board with a bleach solution would also be a wise precaution.
Critical Thinking Questions7
These questions will also be posted to the book’s website so that students can complete them online and e-mail their
answers to you.
1. Foodborne illnesses can be very debilitating for an individual. Patients in what might be considered higher risk
groups such as infants, pregnant women, and the elderly or individuals with chronic illnesses can be devastated
409
and could die from an infection by a bacterium, virus, or parasite that was a result of poor food handling.
Discuss your multidimensional food safety educational program for a mother of an infant, a pregnant mom, and
a caretaker for an elderly parent.
Answer: Infants: These little individuals, whether they be newborn or almost approaching the one year mark,
are quite susceptible to all viruses, bacteria, etc. as they are still developing after their birth. These several
months after the birth are critical to the infant and their overall mental and physical health and anything and
everything that the parents can do that helps to optimize the infant’s health status is critically important.
Because pregnancy brings on many body changes and accompanying food cravings, remind the moms that all
foods need to be completely cooked and consumed at a temperature appropriate for the food they are eating.
Pregnant moms should understand that as long as food cravings are satisfied with foods that are properly
prepared and at the proper temperature, there is nothing wrong with unusual combinations. Pregnant moms
should not eat raw foods or any food that has been left out for over two hours or is of questionable temperature.
Hygiene is also important. Pregnant moms can become very tired if they are working and have other children at
home; these mothers can be in a constant state of exhaustion. In these situations, attention to detail may be
forgotten and it will be important to remind mom to cleanse all surfaces, wash hands and those of her children,
or have them help each other. The larger the house, the greater the potential for spread of infection, and if mom
is doing multiple things she is most probably run down and is what one would call “compromised” or more
likely to contract an infection. Depending on the type of infection, some can be transmitted to baby. While the
placenta is very good at keeping the baby healthy, there are some contaminants that can make their way through
to baby. Mothers must always be reminded to care for themselves and their babies, particularly in our fast-paced
world. When available, dads can be very helpful in assisting mom with cleansing all surfaces of the house and
ensuring that any children present maintain good hygiene.