DATE: 3/8/05

CONTACT: Susan Barefoot, (864) 656-3140

WRITER: Diane Palmer, (864) 656-4741

Food Safety: Those surface appearances can be deceiving

MYRTLE BEACH – When it comes to food safety, surface appearances can be deceiving. What you can’t see on the surface of a kitchen counter, the skin of an apple or on your hands can make you sick.

This was the topic of discussion at the National Food Safety Conference hosted by Clemson University in Myrtle Beach in February.

“For many raw and ready-to-eat foods, the majority of any microbial contamination occurs on outer surfaces,” said Joseph Eifert, associate professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech.

Eifert was one of many experts from across the United States who spoke at the conference. The experts agreed that prevention is the key when it comes to ensuring the safety of food products.

Transfer of bacteria from the outer surface to the inner flesh of produce can occur when it is cut during final preparation, according to Linda Harris, microbial food safety Extension specialist at the University of California .

“Consumers and food service industries should wash produce under running water,” she said. “Where possible, rubbing produce will increase effectiveness of microbial removal.”

She stressed the importance of cleaning and sanitizing scrub brushes if they are used to clean produce.

Cleaning and sanitation of surfaces of all types was discussed, including environmental and equipment surfaces, ingredient and product surface, and surfaces such as hands, uniforms and footwear.

“There is no miracle cleaner or sanitizer that will work in all applications,” said Katherine Swanson, vice president of Food Safety Ecolab Inc. “Sanitizers are highly regulated and the label instructions must be followed for safety and effectiveness.”

Paul Dawson, a Clemson University professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, says post-processing treatments to reduce Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meats have been investigated. Some of the methods used include prepackage heating; the addition of antimicrobial compounds; radiant surface heating; electrolyzed water, in-package pasteurization; and antimicrobial packaging.

Dawson said various systems to deliver heat to the meat surface after processing are effective and efficient and in most cases achieve the goal of killing bacteria.

Young children are at high risk for contracting foodborne illnesses. The goal, according to University of Tennessee Professor of Food Microbiology P. Michael Davidson, is to reduce food safety risks in child care facilities.

The American food supply continues to be among the safest in the world, according to Donna M. Garren, vice president for Scientific and Technical Affairs for the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association in Washington , DC .

Garren indicated that though the produce supply system has been made safer in recent years, more improvements can be made.

The Food Marketing Institute and its retail members are launching a nationwide campaign this spring to educate consumers about the importance of keeping home refrigerators at or below 41 degrees F and making refrigerator thermometers available to consumers for home use, according to James Ball, director of food safety for Food Lion and president of the Carolinas Association of Food Protection.

“While the USDA and the FDA are recognized as the major food safety regulatory agencies in this country, it is state and local government programs that conduct more than 80 percent of the food safety inspections, investigate the majority of foodborne illnesses and sample the majority of food products for microbiological or chemical defects,” said Joe Corby, director for the Division of Food Safety and Inspection for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. “Food safety is always changing, however, and state and local governments must continue to update and upgrade their field staffs as technology and the science expands.”

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