Food Safety and
Storage
Chapter #1
• Explain the relationship between microorganisms and
foodborne illness.
• Demonstrate practices that promote kitchen cleanliness.
• Distinguish safe from unsafe food handling practices.
• Explain storage principles that affect food safety.
• Describe the roles of government agencies in protecting
the food supply.
Chapter Objectives
• Most foodborne illness can be traced to contaminants such as
microorganisms, toxins, and spores.
• Foodborne Illness:
• Sickness caused by eating food that contains a harmful substance.
• Contaminant:
• Substances that make food unfit for use.
• Microorganism:
• Living creatures that are visible only through a microscope.
• Toxin:
• Poisons that can cause illness.
• Spore:
• Protected cells that develop into bacteria under the right
conditions.
Foodborne Illness
• Food Safety:
• Keeping food safe to eat by following proper food handling and
cooking practices.
• In order to avoid foodborne illness it is important to practice
food safety by following the four basic food safety principles:
• Keep yourself and your kitchen clean.
• Don’t cross-contaminate.
• Cross-contamination:
• Occurs when harmful bacteria spread from one food to another.
• Cook food thoroughly.
• Refrigerate food promptly.
Food Safety
• Sanitation:
• The prevention of illness through cleanliness.
• Personal Hygiene:
• Keeping yourself clean to avoid transferring bacteria when
handling food.
• 20-Second Scrub:
• Using soap and hot water, scrub your hands for 20 seconds.
• Clean Kitchen Guidelines:
• Wash work surfaces and utensils in hot, soapy water before you
prepare food.
• Wash the tops of cans before opening them.
• Change dishtowels often.
Cleanliness in the
Kitchen
• Safe food handling practices include storing food at appropriate
temperatures in the proper containers in either a refrigerator or freezer.
• Internal Temperature:
• The temperature registered at the center of the thickest part of the food.
• Food Temperature Guidelines:
• Taste foods containing ingredients from animal sources only after they are
fully cooked.
• Never partially cook food and then wait to finish the cooking later.
• Watch for hot and cool spots in microwaved foods.
• When reheating foods bring to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
• Freezer Burn:
• Moisture loss caused when food is improperly packaged or stored in the
freezer too long.
Food Temperatures
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a division of the
Department of Health and Human Services and is charged with
the overall safety of the U.S. food supply.
• GRAS List:
• A list of foods that are “Generally Recognized as Safe.”
• Irradiation:
• The process of exposing food to high-intensity energy waves to
increase its shelf life and kill harmful microorganisms.
• Recall:
• The immediate removal of a product from store shelves.
Food and Drug
Administration
• The Environmental Protection Agency is charged with the
environmental impact of food production, regulation of
disposal of wastes generated by processing, and enforces
laws that protect the nation’s water supply.
• Tolerance:
• Maximum safe level for a certain chemical in the body.
• Bioterrorism:
• The intentional use of biological agents to harm people,
animals, or plants.
Environmental Protection
Agency
• Read Chapter #20: “Food Safety and Storage” (pgs. 279292) in the “Foods for Today” textbook.
• Answer Questions #1-5 and #17-23 under the “Check
Your Knowledge” section on pg. 294.
Homework Assignment
• Kowtaluk, H. (2006). “Foods for today.” Glencoe
McGraw-Hill; New York.
Bibliography