DNT 200
NUTRITION FOR HEALTH
SCIENCES
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL
PROBLEMS
1
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
”Opportunities multiply as they are seized."
- Sun Tzu, Chinese author, 500-320BC
2
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
3
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Food-borne illnesses are illnesses
transmitted to human beings through
food -- are caused by either an
infectious agent (food-borne infection)
or a poisonous substance (food
intoxication)
• Millions of cases are treated each year
• Infection from one major food
supplier can cause many thousands of
illnesses
4
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Food-borne infections
– Caused by eating foods contaminated with
infectious microbes
– Symptoms include abdominal cramps,
fever, and diarrhea
• Food intoxications
– Caused by eating foods containing natural
toxins or, more likely, microbes that
produce toxins
– Symptoms are similar to food-borne
infections
5
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
Botulism
Botulinum
toxin
(produced
by
Clostridium
botulinum
bacteria)
FOOD
SOURCE
SYMPTOMS
PREVENTION
Anaerobic
Onset: 4-36
Use proper canning
environment
hours after
methods for low
of low
eating.
acid foods; avoid
acidity
Nervous
commercially
(canned
system
canned foods with
corn,
including
leaky seals, or
peppers,
double vision,
bent, bulging, or
green beans,
inability to
broken cans
soups, and
swallow, etc.
others)
often fatal
6
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses (con’t)
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
FOOD
SOURCE
SYMPTOMS
Campylobacterosis Raw poultry,
Onset: 2-5
Campylobacter
beef, lamb,
days after
jejuni bacteria
unpasteurized
eating.
milk
Diarrhea,
abdominal
cramps,
fever,
sometimes
bloody
stools; lasts
7-10 days
PREVENTION
Cook foods
thoroughly, use
sanitary food
handling
methods; avoid
unpasteurized
milk
7
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses (con’t)
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
Giardiasis
Giardia lamblia
protozoa
FOOD
SOURCE
SYMPTOMS
Contaminated Diarrhea (but
water;
occasionally
uncooked
constipation)
foods
abdominal
pain, gas,
abdominal
distention,
digestive
disturbances,
anorexia,
nausea, and
vomiting
PREVENTION
Use sanitary food
handling
methods, avoid
raw fruits and
vegetables
where protozoa
are endemic,
dispose of
sewage properly
8
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses (con’t)
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
Perfringens food
poisoning
Clostridium
perfringens
bacteria
FOOD
SOURCE
SYMPTOMS PREVENTION
Meats and
Onset: 8-12
Use sanitary food
meat
hours after
handling
products
eating.
methods; cook
stored at
Abdominal
foods
between 120
pain,
thoroughly;
and 130
diarrhea,
refrigerate foods
degrees
nausea, and promptly and
Fahrenheit
vomiting.
properly
Symptoms
last a day or
less and are
usually
9
mild.
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses (con’t)
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
FOOD
SOURCE
Salmonellosis
Eggs, raw
Salmonella
meats,
bacteria (more
poultry,
than 2,000 kinds) milk and
other dairy
products
SYMPTOMS PREVENTION
Onset: 6-48
Use sanitary food
hours after
handling
eating.
methods; cook
Nausea,
foods
fever,
thoroughly;
vomiting,
refrigerate foods
abdominal
promptly and
cramps and
properly
prostration;
mimics flu;
lasts 24-48
10
hours
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses (con’t)
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
Staphylococcal
food poisoning
Staphylococcal
toxin (produced
by
Staphylococcus
aureus bacteria)
FOOD
SOURCE
SYMPTOMS PREVENTION
Onset: ½ to 8 Use sanitary food
Toxin
hours after
produced in
handling
eating.
meats,
methods;
Diarrhea,
poultry, egg
refrigerate foods
nausea,
products,
promptly and
vomiting,
tuna, potato
properly
abdominal
and
cramps, and
macaroni
prostration;
salads, and
mimics flu;
cream-filled
lasts 24-48
pastries
hours;
11
rarely fatal
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses (con’t)
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
Listeriosis
Listeria
monocytogenes
FOOD
SOURCE
Raw meat
and
seafood,
raw milk,
and soft
cheeses
SYMPTOMS
PREVENTION
Onset: 7-30 days Use sanitary food
after eating.
handling
Mimics flu;
methods; cook
blood
foods
poisoning,
thoroughly;
complications
avoid
in pregnancy,
unpasteurized
and meningitis
milk
12
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Common Food-borne illnesses (con’t)
DISEASE &
ORGANISM
Traveler’s
diarrhea
Escherichia coli
FOOD
SOURCE
SYMPTOMS PREVENTION
Contaminated Loose and
water,
watery
ground beef,
stools,
raw foods,
nausea,
imported
bloating,
soft cheeses
and
abdominal
cramps
Avoid untreated
water,
unpasteurized
milk and raw
foods
13
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
14
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen
– Keep hot foods hot
• Use a thermometer
• Cook stuffing separately
• Do not cook large cuts of meats or turkeys in
a microwave oven
• Cook eggs before eating
• Maintain hot foods over 140 degrees F
15
• Heat leftovers thoroughly
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
– Keep cold foods cold
• Leave perishables in the car no longer than is
absolutely necessary
• Buy only those foods that are solidly frozen
• Keep cold foods at 40 degrees F or less
• Refrigerate leftovers promptly; use shallow
containers
• Thaw meats or poultry in a refrigerator, not at
room temperature
16
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
– Keep a clean and safe kitchen
• Use hot soapy water to wash hands, utensils,
dishes, non-porous cutting boards, and
countertops
• Avoid cross contamination by washing all
surfaces that have been in contact with raw
meats, poultry, or eggs
17
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
– Keep a clean and safe kitchen
• Mix foods with utensils, not hands;
keep hands and utensils away from
mouth, nose, and hair
• Avoid coughing or sneezing over
food. A person with a skin
infection or infectious disease
should not prepare food
18
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
– Others
• Wash and sanitize or replace sponges or
towels regularly
• Clean up food spills and crumb-filled
crevices
• Do not taste food that is suspect
19
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
– Others
• Throw out food with danger-signaling
odors; be aware however, that most food
poisoning bacteria are odorless, colorless,
and tasteless
• Do not buy or use items that appear to have
been opened
• Follow label instructions for storing and
preparing packaged and frozen foods 20
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
– For specific items
• Canned goods -- discard food from
cans that leak or bulge
• Cheeses -- aged cheeses such as
cheddar and swiss do well for an hour
or so without refrigeration but should
be refrigerated for longer periods
• Eggs
– Use clean eggs with intact shells
– Do not eat eggs raw
21
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
• Honey
– May contain dormant bacterial
spores which can produce botulism
– Can be a danger to infants under 12
months
• Mayonnaise
– May help foods resist spoilage
because of acidity
– Should be chilled after opening
22
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
• Safety in the kitchen (con’t)
• Mixed salads
– Have extensive surface area for bacteria to
invade
– May have been subject to crosscontamination
– Chill before, during, and after service
• Picnic foods -- choose foods that can
last without refrigeration such as fresh
fruits and vegetables, breads and
crackers, and canned spreads and
cheeses that can be opened and used23
immediately
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY OF
FOODS AND DIETS
• “New” foods are available today
– Are designed to appeal to people’s tastes, not
necessarily to deliver a balanced assortment of
needed nutrients
– Include convenience, fats, and fabricated foods
– FDA’s labeling regulations designed to help
consumers combine foods into healthful diets
24
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTAMINANTS
• A contaminant is a substance
that does not normally occur in
a food
• Example
– Methylmercury
• 1953 case from Japan resulted in
46 deaths from ingesting methyl
mercury in fish
• Originated from manufacturing
plants discharging mercury into
25
the waters
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTAMINANTS
• Example
– PBB (polybrominated biphenyl)
• Is a toxic organic halogen
• 1973 case was accidentally mixed in
livestock feed resulting in 97% of
Michigan’s residents being exposed,
some experiencing nervous system
aberrations and liver disorders
26
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
PESTACIDES
• Pesticides are chemicals used to
control insects, diseases, weeds,
fungi, and other pests on plants,
vegetables, fruits and animals
– Includes
• Herbicides (to kill weeds)
• Insecticides (to kill insects)
• Fungicides (to kill fungi)
27
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
PESTACIDES
– Actions
• Kill pests’ natural predators
• Accumulate in the food chain
• Pollute the water, soil, and air
– Occur in nature as well as produced in
laboratory but are less damaging to other
living things and less persistent
– Require EPA approval; FDA monitors
28
and enforces them
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Additives are substances not normally
consumed as foods but added to food
either intentionally or by accident
• Intentional additives are those
intentionally added to foods, such as
nutrients, colors, and preservatives
• Indirect additives are substances that
get into food as a result of contact with
foods during growing, processing,
packaging, storing, cooking or some
other stage before foods are consumed
29
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Are regulated by the FDA
• GRAS List
– Established in 1958
– Generally Recognized as Safe
– Criteria
• Extensive long term use in food OR
• Current scientific evidence
– Subject to ongoing review
30
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Delaney Clause
– Part of the Food Additive amendment to
the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
– States that no substance known to cause
cancer in animals or human beings at any
dose shall be added to foods
– “Zero risk” criteria has been replaced by
the “minimal risk” (one in a million)
criteria by the FDA
31
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Intentional additives
– Anti-microbial agents
• Prevent microorganisms from growing
• Most widely used are sugar and salt -prevent microbial use of the food’s water
• Others include nitrates and nitrites which
also preserve color and inhibit rancidity
– Use is controversial
– Can be converted into nitrosamines, which are
32
carcinogenic in animals
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Intentional additives (con’t)
– Antioxidants
• Protects from color and flavor changes
caused by exposure to oxygen
• Examples
– Vitamin C
– Vitamin E
33
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Intentional additives (con’t)
– Antioxidants
• Examples (con’t)
– Sulfites
» Are salts containing sulfur
» Prohibited on foods intended to be
consumed raw (except grapes)
» Requires declaration on label
» Destroys thiamin -- are prohibited on
important sources of this vitamin such as
enriched grain products
34
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Intentional additives (con’t)
» BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) -slows development of off-flavors,
odors, and color changes caused by
oxidation
– Artificial colors -- examples
• Carotenoids -- color margarine, cheeses, and
pasta
• Caramel -- tints cola beverages
• Blue
• Green
• Red
• Yellow
35
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Intentional additives (con’t)
– Artificial flavors and flavor enhancers
• Are the largest single group of food
additives
• Required to be itemized on food labels
• Example -- MSG
– Monosodium glutamate
– Widely used in Asian food as a flavor
enhancer
– May cause Chinese Restaurant Syndrome
» Burning sensations
» Chest and facial flushing or pain
» Throbbing headaches
36
» Effects 1-2% of population
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Intentional additives (con’t)
– Nutrient additives -- appropriate uses:
• Correct dietary deficiencies known to result
in deficiency disease
• Restore nutrients to levels found in the food
before storage, handling, or processing
• Balance the vitamin, mineral, and protein
contents of a food in proportion to the
energy content
• Correct a nutritional inferiority in a food that
replaces a more nutritious traditional food
37
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Intentional additives
(con’t)
• Examples
– Thiamin, niacin, riboflavin,
and iron in grain products
– Iodine in salt
– Vitamins A and D in milk
– Vitamin C in fruit drinks
38
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Indirect food additives
– Packaging
• Materials from packaging migrate at high
(microwave) temperatures
• Tin from a can
– Dioxins
• Are compounds formed during chlorine
treatment of wood pulp during paper
manufacture
• Are toxic and known to cause cancer in
laboratory animals
• Levels used appear to pose no health risk to
people
39
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Indirect food additives (con’t)
– Decaffeinated coffee
• Methylene chloride often used to
remove caffeine-- residual trace
amounts remain in final product
• Methylene chloride is
carcinogenic
– Also found in hair sprays
– Paint stripping solutions
• No label declaration required
40
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Hormones
– BGH (bovine growth hormone)
• Hormone treated meat animals
produce leaner meat
• Hormone treated milk animals
produce more milk
• Enable smaller herds on smaller plots
of cleared land
• Produced naturally in animals’
pituitary gland -- no harmful effect
on humans
• Associated with udder infections -results in more antibiotics which
show up in meat and milk
41
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Radiation
– Approved by FDA and is treated as an
additive
– Kills microorganisms and insects in postharvest wheat, spices, and teas
– Vitamin loss is minimal
– In many cases there are no flavor, texture,
or color changes
– Does not make foods radioactive
• When radiation strikes the atoms in the
molecules of food, they loose electrons and
form ions or free radicals
• How these particles react with one another is42
subject of continuing research
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
FOOD ADDITIVES
• Food biotechnology
– Also known as biogenic
engineering, is the use of
biological systems or
organisms to create or
modify products
– Examples -- tomatoes that
stay fresh much longer
– Offers solutions to enhance
the quality, nutritional
value, and variety of foods
43
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
PUBLIC WATER
SUPPLY
• Sources
– Surface water -from lakes,
rivers, and
reservoirs
– Ground water -from
underground
aquifers and
pumped up from
private wells
44
CONSUMER CONCERNS ABOUT FOOD
PUBLIC WATER
SUPPLY
• Contamination (lead,
asbestos, bacteria, dirt)
can occur via
plumbing
• Public water systems
treat water (usually
with chlorine) to
remove contaminants
• Bottled water is an
alternative
45
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
HUNGER IN THE UNITED STATES
• Is not always easy to recognize
• Has many causes
– Poverty
– Alcohol abuse
– Drug abuse
– Physical and mental illnesses
– Lack of awareness of available food
assistance programs
– Reluctance of people (particularly the
elderly) to accept what they perceive as
welfare or charity
46
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
HUNGER IN THE UNITED STATES
• Ten States with the highest percentage
of households uncertain of having, or
unable to acquire, enough food because
of insufficient money or other
resources
Utah
Mississippi
Texas
Arizona
Oklahoma
15.2%
14.8%
14.8%
14.6%
14.3%
New Mexico
Idaho
Oregon
Louisiana
Georgia
14.3%
13.7%
13.7%
13.1%
12.9%
USDA Governing Feb 2004
47
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
HUNGER IN THE UNITED STATES
• Assistance programs
– Federal
• School lunch and breakfast
• WIC
• Congregate meals
• Meals on wheels
• Food Stamp program
– Local
• Community based soup kitchens and shelters
48
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
WORLD HUNGER
• Causes of famine
– Drought
– Flood
– Pests
– Social causes -- people loose
their ability to obtain food
• Sudden increase in food prices
• Drop in workers’ incomes
• Change in government policy
• Armed conflict
49
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
WORLD HUNGER
• International food assistance -available since 1950’s
• Chronic malnutrition
– Suffered by estimated over 800
million people in developing
countries
– Results in lowered life expectancy
• Overpopulation vs. food
production
– Food production no longer keeping
pace with population growth
50
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
WORLD HUNGER
• Global Nutrition Strategy
– UN Food & Agriculture Organization
(FAO) and World Health Organization
(WHO) April 2003 Report
• Limit fat to 15-30% of total daily energy and
saturated fats to less than 10%
• Carbohydrates should provide the bulk of
energy requirements at 55% to 75% of total
Calories
• Daily intake of salt, preferably iodized,
should be restricted to less than 5 grams per
day
51
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
WORLD HUNGER
• Global Nutrition Strategy
– UN Food & Agriculture Organization
(FAO) and World Health Organization
(WHO) April 2003 Report (con’t)
• Intake of fruit and vegetables should be at
least 400 grams daily
• Recommended protein intake is 10% - 15%
of total Calories
• One hour per day of moderate intensity
activity on most days of the week is needed
to maintain a healthy body weight
52
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL
DEGRADATION AND
HUNGER
• Environmental problems and food
production
– Deforestation -- leads to erosion and
silt deposition compromising
irrigation water supplies
– Air pollution -- ozone, sulfur
dioxide, and nitrous oxide from
fossil fuels reduce crop yields
– Climate change -- temperature
53
increases reduce soil moisture
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL
DEGRADATION AND HUNGER
• Environmental problems and food
production (con’t)
– Water scarcity -- reduce crop yields
– Deteriorating rangelands -- feed
needs of livestock in nearly all
developing countries now exceed
the capacity of their rangelands
– Diminishing fisheries -- yield of fish
from the oceans is diminishing from
over-fishing and pollution
*****
54
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
AND HUNGER
• Population growth leads to hunger and
poverty
• Hunger and poverty lead to population
growth
• Breaking the cycle requires improving
the economic status of the people and
enabling the provision of health care,
education, and family planning
****
55
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
AND HUNGER
• Solutions
– Sustainable development worldwide
• United Nations convention on the Rights of
the Child cited nutrition as an internationally
recognized human right
• Earth Summit (1992) discussed the
relationship of environment to poverty and
hunger
– Activism and simpler lifestyles at home
– Environmentally conscious foodways -consider the price the global environment
***
56
pays for food
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND HUNGER
• Solutions (con’t)
– Food Shopping
• Transportation -- consider alternatives to private
cars
• Food choices
– Environmentally, it is beneficial we eat low on
the food chain (eat plants, rather than eat the
animals that eat plants)
– Avoid buying canned beef products -- some of
these come at the expense of cleared rainforest
land in Central and South America
– Choose small and medium sized fish that are
lower on the food chain than the predators that
eat them
– Select local foods -- they are transported
57
shorter distances **
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
AND HUNGER
• Solutions (con’t)
– Food Shopping
• Food packages
– What’s best for the environment is no
packages
– Next best are minimal, reusable, or recyclable
ones
– Cooking food -- fast cooking saves fuel
and pollutes less
– Kitchen appliances -- use energyefficient appliances
*
58
HUNGER AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
AND HUNGER
• Solutions (con’t)
– Food serving and waste disposal
• Use “real” plates, cups, and glasses
• Recycle trash
• Institute recycling programs at work
– Personal choices, made by many people,
can have a great impact
– Be part of the solution, not part of the
problem
59