Pueblo Chieftain, CO
10-03-07
Food threats lurk in unlikely places
By RUTH MANTELL
McCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON - Danger could be hiding in your dinner salad.
Food most people consider healthy, such as raw sprouts, salad greens, cooked
fruit and rice, can pose serious health risks if they are improperly prepared and
stored.
Sprouts are considered risky because they grow in a bacteria-friendly moist
environment. Outbreaks have involved raw alfalfa and mixed sprouts that were
contaminated with salmonella, which can lead to fever, cramps, diarrhea and
even death, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Thorough cooking
significantly reduces health risks for sprouts, as well other foods.
Certain people are at greater risk, including young children, the elderly, immunecompromised and pregnant women, according to Sam Beattie, a food safety
extension specialist at Iowa State University.
The bacteria campylobacter, salmonella and E. coli, as well as Norwalk and
Norwalk-like viruses cause the most commonly recognized food-borne infections,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is
working on analyses to estimate the number of illnesses each year in the United
States from various foods. Initial reports are expected in 2008.
Dangers on the farm
Well-documented sources of contamination are undercooked and raw meat and
poultry, raw eggs, unpasteurized milk and raw shellfish, according to the CDC.
But eaters may be less familiar with threats posed by improperly cooked or
stored fruits and vegetables. Produce can be contaminated at home, or on the
farm, by unclean water and by manure used for fertilization, according to the
CDC. Washing produce can reduce your risk, but it doesn’t eliminate
contamination.
Just a year ago, at least three people died and hundreds were sickened in an E.
coli outbreak traced to raw spinach that was grown in California and had been
contaminated by cattle feces.
Dr. Rajal Mody, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC, said unpasteurized fruit
juices, especially apple cider and juice, have been linked to contaminants such
as E. coli and salmonella. Consumers should watch out for unpasteurized juice
offerings at roadside stands, even if the juice is from a local farm. There has
been an increase in food-contamination outbreaks related to fresh produce in
recent years, Mody said.
‘‘The problem with unpasteurized ciders (and juice), especially when apples are
picked off the ground, is that the apples that are lying on the ground are going to
come into contact with soil, and potentially any animal that is walking by could
leave droppings,’’ he said.
The produce items that have been the most frequent culprit foods have been
leafy green vegetables, tomatoes and melons, Mody said. ‘‘We still are unsure
why these items are popping up in food-borne outbreaks. We think it has
something to do with the farm field itself, but definitely more research is needed
to figure out the routes of contamination,’’ he said.
Mody added that it’s prudent to wash produce, although bacteria can still adhere
tightly to products.
Turn up the heat
Consumers also need to be wary of cooking vegetables and fruits using recipes
that add enough moisture to transform the food into a potential bacteria breeding
ground.
For example, dry beans are not considered a risky food. But cooking the beans
can add enough moisture to create a contaminant-friendly environment,
according to Gary Hagy, director of the Virginia Department of Health’s food and
environmental services division.
‘‘There’s a breakdown of the structure of the food, and it has enough moisture in
it that it has the ability to support rapid microbial growth,’’ Hagy said.
Cooking produce also poses a risk because it breaks down a food’s protective
structure, exposing nutrients that can act as microbial feeding fodder. Therefore,
temperature control is critical to ensure that cooked produce is safe.
‘‘Once you’ve cooked these foods cool them down quickly if you’re not going to
serve them hot. If you’re going to serve them immediately, that’s fine,’’ Hagy said.
‘‘Keep the cold foods cold.’’
Eaters should also be wary of prepared items such as burritos. First, ingredients
for burritos - cooked chicken, beef, beans, rice, and lettuce - are frequently held
at improper temperatures, thereby allowing certain types of bacteria to
proliferate.
Second - here comes the ‘‘ick’’ factor - the more your burrito, or any other
prepared food, is handled, the greater the chance of human fecal contamination,
according to Iowa State’s Beattie.
Eaters should also be wary of cooked food that has been sitting out at the
barbecue or picnic for several hours. Experts recommend leaving that leftover
potato salad alone. Better yet, throw it away. If rice, pasta or stew has been
hanging around for a few hours, you may be better off going hungry than loading
your plate.
‘‘Banquets and mass gatherings such as potlucks are also higher risk,’’ Beattie
said.
And despite widespread publicity about food dangers, eaters continue to
consume risky foods. Even Beattie himself has succumbed to the lure of a
convenient taco wagon:
‘‘Fantastic burritos, but the next day and almost right on schedule - diarrhea. And
yet we continued to eat there because the food was tasty,’’ he said. ‘‘Risky?
Probably not for a middle-aged, bald, fat guy, but for an (at-risk eater),
potentially.’’