Is Danger Lurking in Your
Kitchen?
Preventing Foodborne Illness in Child Care
Centers and Family Child Care Homes
Barbara Ingham
Extension Food Scientist
UW-Madison
Cooks Come Clean
(and it isn’t a pretty picture)
100 Families in Utah in the Spotlight
• No soap used when hand washing (70%)
• Same towel to wipe raw meat juices and
dry hands
• Under-cooked meat loaf (35%)
• Tasted marinade used on raw fish
• Mishandled baby bottles
Symptoms
For most people with foodborne illness, the
symptoms are:
–
–
–
–
Stomach cramps
Nausea
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Every year 13 million people become ill
Children are at risk for serious
complications
Just imagine….
• A 3 year old eats watermelon
at a restaurant and dies…
• A 2 ½ year old drinks cider at
a local orchard and ends up
hospitalized with bloody
diarrhea…
Danger that may lurk in your
kitchen- E. coli O157:H7
• Resides: Intestinal tract of animals
• Foods:
– Unpasteurized juice and cider
– Lettuce and sprouts
– Raw milk cheeses
– Undercooked hamburger
• Acid tolerant, small numbers
cause illness
E. coli O157:H7
Danger that may lurk in your
kitchen - Salmonella
• Resides: Intestinal tract of animals
• Foods:
– Eggs and chicken
– Meat
– Milk
– Fresh produce
• Antibiotic resistance increasing
Salmonella Poisoning: The
Case of the Chicken Salad &
the Picnic Lunch
Time
Minutes at 97ºF # Bacteria
8:00 am
0
10
9:00
60
80
10:00
120
640
11:00
180
5,120
12 noon
240
40,960
In reality, we would more likely start
with 10,000 bacteria or more!
Danger that may lurk in your
kitchen- Campylobacter
• Resides on 70-90% of poultry,
and in unpasteurized milk too
• Only 500 cells can cause illness
• Luckily it’s a poor survivor
Danger that may lurk in your
kitchen- Listeria
• Resides: water, soil and sewage
• Healthy animals and humans can be
carriers
• Food sources:
–
–
–
–
–
Leafy vegetables contaminated with manure
Raw milk
Raw meat
Soft cheese
Deli meats, sausages, hot dogs
Danger that may lurk in your
kitchen- Viruses
•
•
•
9 million cases of viral foodborne
illness each year
Norwalk-like viruses & rotavirus are
especially a problem for children
Linked to poor personal hygiene
Why is this happening?
• Emerging pathogens
• ‘Newly’ hazardous foods:
– Melon
– Raw meat
– Sprouted seeds
– Unpasteurized juices
• Antibiotic resistance
• Different ways of handling food
Tips on Removing Danger
from your Kitchen
Fight BAC!
• Clean: Wash Hand and Surfaces Often
• Cook: Cook to Proper Temperatures
• Separate: Avoid Cross-Contamination
• Chill: Refrigerate Promptly
Clean: Wash Hands and
Surfaces Often
•
•
•
•
Teach children to wash their hands
Set a good example
Step 1-Clean surfaces
Step 2-Sanitize surfaces
1 tsp bleach per quart of water
• Wash produce before eating
Danger Zone- 40º to 140ºF
Cook: Cook to Proper
Temperatures
• Cook It Right . . .Hot enough and
long enough to kill harmful bacteria
. . . Keep It Hot (140ºF) or higher
. . . Reheat it Well (to bubbling)
• Use Proper Containers
Chill: Refrigerate Promptly
• Refrigerate perishable foods
• Transfer hot food to shallow pans for
quick cooling
• Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator
• Use extra care on field trips
Separate: Don’t CrossContaminate
Keep it Clean!
• Lather Up
• Take Two (cutting boards!)
• Clean Your Plate
Watch those Juices!
• Safely Separate (grocery to home)
• Seal It
Anything else?
• Take care with food from home….
• Watch those pets…..
• When in doubt, throw it out !
(or at least call your local
Extension office)
Thank you!!