The Final Research Paper for Food Safety

¶ … causes of foodborne illnesses include inadequate hand washing at any stage including the consumer, cross-contamination such as using the same cutting board for meat as cheese, improper storage temperatures such as a refrigerator that is not set cold enough, improper cooking temperatures, particularly regarding meat, the contamination of food by animal waste, which generally occurs in factory food production, and the contamination of soil or water supplies from natural sources or industrial pollution. Tracing the source of a food contamination problem requires an investigation of all the stages of food production from farm to table. Contamination can occur at any of these stages, but the type and severity of the contamination varies depending on when it occurs, and how. Optimal food safety involves safe practices at each and every one of the following levels: food sourcing, food production, food handling, and the end-user consumption of food.

Food Sourcing

Perhaps the least discussed contributor to contaminated food might be its most potentially deadly: toxins and chemicals in the environment that affect food at its source such as a farm or ranch. Contaminated water from pesticide or factory runoff is one example of how a food supply can become contaminated. The problem of environmental contamination is difficult to pinpoint because often food from one farm will be distributed around the world and it can be difficult to trace the origin of the contamination. More importantly, the types of toxins in the environment are often much deadlier than the bacteria and viruses that could be present in food that was contaminated due to poor hygiene at the food handling stage. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between food that is contaminated by heavy metals, pesticides, or radiation and food that is contaminated by bacteria and viruses. As with many other public health issues, the poor tend to be the most adversely affected by environmental toxins in their food supply. For example, people in rural regions of Ukraine " are resorting to milk and produce from land still contaminated by fallout from the world's worst nuclear accident three decades ago," even though those foods are proven to be unsafe ("People are Still Eating Food Contaminated by Chernobyl," 2016).

Because of the close connection between poverty and food safety at the source level, food safety can be viewed as an important political issue. Food safety is a basic human right. Yet even in the United States, hazardous facilities including waste treatment plants and factories of all types are more likely to be located in low-income or minority communities that lack the social, economic, or political power to protest the locations of these facilities (Margai, 2013). Around the world, a similar pattern can be seen whereby the poor people end up living in places with contaminated food or water supplies. Without any recourse, people in disenfranchised communities find themselves forced to consume contaminated food or risk malnutrition and starvation. Because the types of contamination occurring at this level of food sourcing are serious and can even cause inter-generational problems like genetic mutations or cancers, food contamination is about more than just avoiding a bout of food poisoning; it is about human rights and social justice. It is impossible to wash heavy metals or radiation from food, meaning that consumers who have no control over where their food comes also have no control over the safety of that food.

According to the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2015), arsenic, lead, and mercury are the three chemical elements most likely to be food contaminants. Mercury is most commonly located in fish because of industrial waste. Even airborne industrial waste accumulates into the atmosphere and ends up in local waters or the ocean. All fish and sea creatures are therefore exposed to the mercury. However, fish that are higher up on the food chain, mainly larger fish, tend to have higher mercury contents because they eat smaller fish that contain mercury too ("How Does Mercury Get Into Fish?" 2011). Consuming mercury-containing fish can lead to severe consequences. Women who consume mercury-containing fish may have enough mercury in their bloodstream to impact the growth and development of their babies ("How Does Mercury Get Into Fish?" 2011). According to the FDA (2015), the fish that contain the most mercury in American waters include tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, swordfish, and king mackerel. Consumers can protect themselves by limiting their consumption of these and other fish that might present a risk of mercury contamination.

Although lead poisoning is more likely to occur as a result of inhaling dust particles or drinking water from lead-based pipes, lead can enter the food supply mainly through packaged goods. The foods most at risk for lead poisoning are those that are packaged with materials that contain lead. While the United States has phased out packaging that contains lead, imported food products may still use lead-based materials. According to the New York State Department of Health (n.d.), common culprits include canned goods because some types of cans contain lead, candy because of the wrappers, food that comes in pottery containers because of the lead paint used in that pottery, and chapulines.

Food can also be contaminated with arsenic. Long-term exposure to arsenic can cause a number of diseases including cancer and heart disease (FDA, 2015). Arsenic can come from natural sources as it is present in soil in small amounts, but the most dangerous sources of arsenic that elevate its concentration in food is from mining, smelting, and some pesticides (FDA, 2015). As with other toxic chemicals, arsenic has been banned from American-made pesticides but may still be present in the pesticides used in other countries. If those foods are then imported into the United States, then American consumers will be exposed to the arsenic. The foods most likely to be contaminated with arsenic include rice and other grains, because of the long time they absorb elements from the soil.

In addition to food safety issues regarding metal contamination, bacterial and viral infections can also occur at this earliest stage of food production. For example, beef cattle and other animals are sometimes raised in close proximity to one another. This can lead to the spread of disease or the perpetual exposure to manure, which makes its way into the animal hides. By the time these animals reach the slaughterhouse for processing, they are already ripe with bacteria and other sources of food contamination.

Pesticides and herbicides are another well-known impediment to maximum food safety. The popularity of organic food proves that the consumer is well aware of the danger of toxic chemicals in the food supply. However, even organic foods can still contain toxic chemicals due to issues beyond the control of the farmer like water supply or minerals in the soil.

Food contamination at the source can lead to some of the most dangerous diseases, which is why it is important to address concerns related to industrial waste. At every other stage of the food production, it is possible to prevent contamination. Unfortunately, consumers have little control over things like lead, arsenic, and mercury in their foods because hand washing and other basic hygiene techniques cannot remove these chemicals. Even buying organic foods cannot prevent all the problems at food source levels, because refraining from pesticide use does not make up for watering the fields with contaminated water.

Factory Production

After food production on farms or ranches, the next stage in the production process may occur in a factory. At this stage, food safety is critical and particularly for the meat industry. Contamination can occur readily in meat processing plants due to a number of reasons including fecal matter contamination and contamination that results from condensation resulting from the processing itself (Bartholomew, 2015). Yet even vegetable processing plants can have contamination problems. Food safety ideally includes close scrutiny of food production facilities.

When food is produced on a small scale rather than a factory, the same basic food safety rules apply. For example, Bartholomew (2015) discusses the importance of regular sterilization of all surfaces and materials in the meat processing plants. The same care must be taken by small butchers and fish mongers. Yet even products that do not contain meat can also present food safety risks, due to food contamination from improper cleaning, cross-contamination, or improper food storage.

Just as consumers have little control over lead or arsenic contamination in their food supply, those who consume factory-produced goods also have little control over the food production. Animal products are at the greatest risk for serious contaminations, because pathogens can already be inside the animal due to its diet. Cross-contamination may also occur during the slaughterhouse processes, as the hide might come into contact with the meat (Bartholomew, 2015). Thus, even before the animal enters the slaughterhouse it could contain pathogens that could enter the human being. Salmonella, listeria, and other bacteria that live on animals can be present in the food supply at this stage, making it important for all food handlers to be conscious of best practices regarding hand washing and sterilization of equipment.

In the Kitchen: Food Handling

This is the first stage at which the consumer starts to have greater control over food safety. Basic hygiene practices in the kitchen can prevent food-borne illnesses. For example, it is important to wash knives and cutting boards because "Microbes can be transferred from one food to another by using the same knife, cutting board or other utensil without washing the surface or utensil in between uses," (Minnesota Department of Health, 2013). Similarly, any raw meat should not come into contact with food that has already been prepared because the raw meat still could contain pathogens.

In addition to preventing cross-contamination by separating raw meat and washing all utensils regularly, it is critical to understand the basics of storage and cooking temperatures. Both cold and heat can prevent the growth of bacteria. Heating to high temperatures can kill bacteria, which is why eating cooked meat is generally safer than raw meat (Minnesota Department of Health, 2013). Food should be refrigerated at a cold temperature whenever possible. The United States Library of Medicine (2014) recommends that the refrigerator be set to 40 degrees Celsius. Also, if the water supply is contaminated, it should not be used to rinse fruits and vegetables that are going to be eaten raw. Instead, produce should be washed with boiled or purified water. The simplest way of preventing food contamination in the kitchen is by regular hand washing. Hand washing can kill most of the bacteria responsible for infection including E. coli and salmonella.

Consumer

The consumer can do a lot to promote food safety. Hand washing is the easiest method of preventing the spread of bacteria. Consumers also can practice the same food safety techniques as food handling staff and professional chefs, such as preventing cross-contamination via clean cutting boards and knives, and storing food at appropriate temperatures. Moreover, it may be important to consume leftovers within a few days, or use uncooked meat or fish after a few days (United States Library of Medicine, 2014). Consumers who cook meat often might want to invest in a meat thermometer, which ensures that the meat is being cooked at a temperature that kills bacteria. Consumers who prefer to source their own food as much as possible need to be aware of issues like red tide affecting their fishing or shellfish harvesting, or how to identify toxic versus edible mushrooms when foraging (United States Library of Medicine, 2014). Being aware of where food comes from, and making an effort to avoid food from unsafe sources, can also empower the consumer and promote food safety.

Conclusion

This research shows that while food contamination can occur at any stage of food production, from farm to table, the farther back the contamination is traced, the more dangerous are the long-term effects. Similarly, the farther back the contamination occurs, the less likely the consumer is to experience acute or short-term effects. This means that food contamination occurring early in the food production chain, such as food grown in contaminated soil, is the least likely to be detected before it is too late. To remedy this situation, it is important for public health officials to regularly test soil and water for contaminants and also regularly test the foods grown in at-risk areas. It is also important to reduce reliance on pesticides and present much stricture regulations on the distance between farms or ranches and industrial facilities. Because a large portion of food contamination affects animals, eating a diet that is mainly vegetarian can help promote food safety.