COMMUNITY FOOD SUPPLY AND HEALTH

Chapter 13

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Chapter 13 Community Food Supply and Health

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The health of a community largely depends on the safety of its available food and water supply.

The safety of food and water supply involves government control agencies and regulations + local and state public health officials

Potential health problems related to the food

supply can arise from several sources such as lack of sanitation, food borne disease, and poverty

Chapter 13 Community Food Supply and Health

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KEY CONCEPTS Modern food production, processing, and

marketing have both positive and negative influences on food safety

Many organisms in contaminated food transmit disease

Poverty often prevents individuals and families from having adequate access to their surrounding community food supply.

Objectives4

Be able to:Identify government agencies that

control food safety and health promotion

Identify food technology practices that affect the quality of food and food products

Describe food-borne diseases and their causes

Objectives

Describe food needs and food insecurity in America and funding for programs to meet these needs

Discuss food buying and handling practices for American families

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Food Safety and Health Promotion6

Government control agencies: goal – keeping food safe

Several federal agencies now help to control food safety and quality

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)The primary governing body of the

American food supplyEnforcement of federal food-safety

regulationsMain government agency responsible for

food safety

Food Safety and Health Promotion

FDA cont.Enforces food sanitation

and quality controlControlling food

additivesRegulating food across

state linesMaintaining the nutrition

labeling of foodsConsumer educationResearch – continues to

evaluate foods and food components

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Food Safety and Health Promotion8

Development of food labelsEarly development of label regulations

Mid 1960’s FDA est. “truth in packaging” regulations

As food processing developed and the number of items grew, the labels also needed to have more nutrition information added.

Food standards: “Standard of Identity” requires that labels on foods not having an established reference standard must list all the ingredients in the order of the amount found in the product

Nutrition Information: describes a food item’s nutritional value

Nutritional Information

Background of present FDA label regulations:2 factors influencing better

food labels:Increase in the variety of

food products entering the US marketplace

Changing patterns of American food habits

Current food label format: Figure 13-2, p. 240Nutrition Facts label

+ “percentage daily value” (%DV)

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Nutritional Information10

Health claims related to Nutrition Labels:Health claims that link nutrients or food groups

with risk for disease are strictly regulatedTo make an association between a food product

and a specific disease, the FDA must:Approve the claimThe food must meet the criteria set forth for

that specific claimThe wording on the package must be

approved

11Nutrient Food Label

Food Technology12

Rapid changes r/t social changes and scientific advances have affected the food-marketing system in our country

Agriculture and food processing industries have developed various chemicals to increase and preserve the food supply.

Concerns are being voiced about how these changes have affected food safety and the overall environment

Such concerns are usually focused on pesticide use and food additives

Food Technology13

Agricultural pesticidesReasons for use: improve crop yield and control

destructive insectsProblems- 4 main areas:

pesticide residue on foodGradual leaching of chemicals in to ground and

wellsIncreased exposure of farm workers to

chemicalsIncreased chemicals as insects develop a

tolerance to them

Food technology

Food Technology15

Alternative agriculture Organic farming – Grown without

synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation

Includes organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products that are from animals raised without antibiotics or growth hormones.Organic farmers can still use natural pesticides and fertilizers

Food technology

Food Technology17

Organic Farming cont.October 2002 – USDA recognized

standards to identify certified “organic” food

For a food to carry the USDA Organic Seal, the farm and processing plant where food was grown and packaged must have undergone government inspections and have met the strict organic USDA standards

Food technology

Using the “organic” label is voluntary; there is a fine of up to $10,000 for those who use the label without the certification

The costs of meeting FDA standards for the “organic” label can be high especially for small producers. Small farms and gardens may label organic produce as “pesticide-free” or use synonymous labeling – talk to your farmer!

Small produce stand

Food Technology

Terms not synonymous with “organic”: natural, hormone-free, free range

“natural” – may be used on products that contain no artificial ingredients, coloring ingredients, or chemical preservatives; and the product and its ingredients are not more than minimally processed

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Food Technology

“hormone-free” and “antibiotic-free” – these terms are not approved the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA.

“raised without hormones” and “raised without antibiotics” are allowed provided that the producer is able to supply an affidavit attesting to the production practices employed that support the claim

Food Technology22

Genetic modification – developing strains of genetically modified foods that reduce the need for toxic pesticides and herbicides

More than 60% of processed foods contain some for of genetically modified ingredients.E.g. seedless oranges and watermelons

Genetically engineered crops are tested extensively on composition, safety and environmental effects

Many governmental institutions are involved in the strict regulation of genetically modified foods in commercial use

GMO corn may be resistant to disease, have a more uniform appearance and bigger size, but they are very new foods in the human diet and environment

Food Technology

Food Technology

Irradiation Can kill bacteria and

parasites on food after harvest- kills E.coli, salmonella, campylobacter and Listeria, etc. Can help prevent food-borne illnesses

Irradiation can be used to increase the shelf-life of produce

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Food Technology25

Foods that are irradiated:Have essentially unaltered nutritional value

Are not radioactiveHave no harmful substances introduced

May taste slightly differentFoods approved for irradiation in the

U.S.: meat, poultry, grains, some seafood, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices

Food Technology26

Irradiation cont.Consumer rejection in the US and

around the world is attributed mainly the result of altered taste and concern about unknown long-term affects on human health

Irradiation also introduced trans fats into meats – a known health risk

Food Technology

Food additives – Chemicals added to prevent spoilage and extend shelf-life

Most common additives: sugar and salt

The current variety of food market items would be impossible without additives

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Food technology

Why food additives?Expanding

populationGreater work forceMore complex

family lifeThese have

increased the desire for more variety and convenience in foods, as well as better safety and quality

Food Technology29

Food additives cont. What do food additives do?

Enrich foods with added nutrientsProduce uniform qualitiesStabilize functional factors (e.g.

thickening, keeping parts separated)Preserve foods by preventing

oxidationControl acidity or alkalinity to improve

flavor, texture, and the cooked product.

Table 13-1. p.246 chart of food additives

Food-borne Disease

Prevalence of food-borne disease Public Health Service

estimates 76 mil people become sick because of food-borne illness 325,000 hospitalizations

Most common infections in home and community breakouts: Salmonella, campylobacter, Shigella, and cryptosporidium

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Food-borne disease

Food sanitation – control of food-borne disease focuses on strict sanitation and rigid personal hygiene

Buying and storing food – Food should be good quality and not defective or diseased.

Dry or cold storage should protect it from deterioration or decay. Food should be stored in fridge at 40 degrees F or lower

Food-borne Disease

Food Sanitation cont.

Be careful at critical points:CLEAN: wash

hands and surfaces often

SEPARATE: Do not cross-contaminate

COOK: Cook to proper temperature

CHILL: Refrigerate promptly

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Food-borne disease

Preparing and serving food – follow strict measures to prevent contamination:

Clean clothing/aprons

Hand washingBasic rules of

hygienePersons with

infectious disease should have limited access to direct food handling: Typhoid Mary

Food-borne Disease34

Food ContaminationFood-borne illness can present itself as

flulike S/S. lethal illnessHarmful bacteria to humans are

“pathogens”Bacterial Food Infections

Salmonellosis- caused by SalmonellaGrow readily in: Milk, custard, egg dishes,

salad dressing, sandwich fillings, seafood from polluted waters (such as oysters and clams); unsanitary handling of food can also spread the bacteria

Food-borne Disease35

Salmonellosis cont. Other safety practices:

immunization, pasteurization, and sanitary regulations involving community water and food supplies as well as food handlers help control outbreaks

S/S: Gastroenteritis: May develop slowly ( 72 hrs). Mild to severe diarrhea, cramps vomiting; usually lasts 4 – 7 days

Food-borne Disease36

Shigellosis – caused by Shigella dysenteriae bacteria

Grows easily in: milk; spread by unsanitary handling of food, feces, fingers, flies

S/S. Usually confined to the large intestine –Mild diarrhea to fatal dysentery in younger kids; cramping, fever, vomiting, blood or mucous in stools

Incubation period 1-7 days; duration 2-7 daysMore common in the summer and among

young children

Food-borne illness

Food-borne Disease38

Listeriosis – caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenesWidely occurs in the environment and affects high risk individuals – e.g. Elderly, pregnant women, infants, patients with suppressed immune systems

Can produce rare but often fatal illness: diarrhea, flulike fever and headache, sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and endocarditis

Food-borne disease

Tracked back to foods like: soft cheese, poultry, seafood, raw milk, commercially broken and refrigerated raw whole eggs, and meat products

Mild diarrhea, fever, headaches, pneumonia – last 3 to 21 days

Food-borne Disease

Bacterial Food Poisoning – caused by the ingestion of bacterial toxins that have been produced in the food by the growth of specific kinds of bacteria before the food is eaten

Ingestion of toxin rapid development of S/S.

2 types of bacterial food poisoning most common:

StaphylococcalClostridial

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Food-borne Disease

Staphylococcal food poisoning –

Most common form of food poisoning

Symptoms appear suddenlySevere cramping and

abdominal pain with n/v/d + Headache, fever, sweating; sometimes prostration and shock

Source: usually a staph infection on the hand of a worker preparing food

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Food-borne Disease42

Staphylococcal food poisoning cont.Foods that are particularly effective

carriers for this bacteria and its toxin:Custard or cream-filled bakery goodsProcessed meats, ham, tongueCheese, ice creamPotato salad, sauces, chicken salad, and

other combination dishesHeating kills the bacteria but NOT the

toxin

Food-borne Disease43

Staphylococcal food poisoning cont.

Food that are particularly effective carriers for this bacteria:Custard or cream-filled bakery goods; processed meats, ham, tongue, cheese, ice cream, potato salad, sauces, chicken salad, and other combination dishes

Food-borne disease

Staphylococcal food poisoning- Heating kills the bacteria but not the toxin

Food-borne Disease45

Clostridial food poisoning:caused by: Clostridium Perfringens

and C. BotulinumSpores are wide-spread in the environment

C. Perfringens multiplies in cooked meat and meat dishes; develops its toxin in food held at warm or room temperature for extended periods of time

Food-borne disease

Clostridial food poisoning

Outbreaks reported in: restaurants, college dining rooms, and school cafeteria. In most cases, meat was improperly prepared or refrigerated

Food-borne Disease47

Clostridial food poisoning cont.C. Botulinum – causes far more serious,

often fatal food poisoning (“botulism”). Mortality rates are high.Symptoms can start as mild discomfort

death in 24 hrs.Initial c/o: n/v, weakness, and dizziness The toxin progressively irritates motor

nerve cells and blocks transmission of neural impulses paralysis

Found mostly in improperly canned foodsAnaerobic (can live w/o oxygen); the

relatively air-free can and the canning temperatures provide good conditions for toxin production

Boiling for 10 minutes destroys the toxin (not the spore)

Food-borne Disease

Viruses: illnesses produced by viral contamination of food are fewer than those produced by bacterial sourcesInclude: URIs and

viral infectious Hepatitis (due to fecal contamination of milk, water or food in schools, towns, and communities)

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Food-borne disease

Parasites – 2 worms are of serious concern in relation to food:Roundworms: Trichina or Trichinella found in pork

Flatworms such as the common tapeworms in beef and pork

Food-borne disease

Trichinella: Control measures: 1. Laws controlling hog and cattle food sources and pastures to prevent transmission of the parasites to the meat produced for market, and

2. avoidance of rare beef or undercooked pork as an added personal precaution

Trichinella

Food-borne disease

Food-borne Disease

Environmental Food Contaminants

Heavy metals (lead, mercury)

Chief source of lead contamination: lead in paint; children eat paint chips; water coming through lead pipes

Permanent neurologic damage can occur from elevated lead exposure and levels in their body

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Food and water-borne diseaseNatural Toxins –

produced by plants or microorganisms

E.g. mercury, found naturally in the environment is converted to methyl mercury (a toxin) by bacteria; can pass through the food chain to humans. Toxins contaminate large bodies of water & the fish in them

Other food contaminants leach out into the ground and contaminate food-production areas and water supply (from sewage, factories, fertilizers)

Food Needs and Costs54

Hunger and malnutritionWorldwide malnutrition – chronic food or nutrient shortages within a population perpetuates the ‘cycle of malnutrition’

Contributing factors:Lack of sanitationCultural inequalityOverpopulationEconomic and political structures that do not appropriately use resources

Food needs and costs

May also result from:Total kcal deficit or

single nutrient deficiency.

Most common deficiencies in the world today are protein-energy malnutrition, Vit A deficiency, iodine and iron - deficiency

Food Needs and Costs

Malnutrition in America – “Food insecurity”: limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways”

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Food Needs and Costs

Individuals at highest risk: African-Americans, Hispanics, single mothers, and households in central city and non-metropolitan areas

Implicated factors:Land management practicesWater distribution Food production and distribution policies

Food assistance programs for individuals and families in need

Food needs and cost58

Food assistance programs- Commodity Supplemental Food

Program- SNAP: food cards to last one month

-Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Provides nutritional

supplementation, education, counseling, and referrals for health care and social services to women who are pregnant or postpartum and to their infants and children under 5

Food vouchers

Food needs and costs

National School Lunch,

Breakfast, and Special Milk Programs – services low-income children

Nutrition Services Incentive Program – provides cash or commodities for the delivery of nutritious meals to elderly persons

Food Buying and Handling Practices

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For many American families, the problem is spending their limited food dollars wisely.

Suggested wise shopping and handling practices may help:Planning ahead – shopping list! [Controls

impulse buying ]Buying wisely – read labels, look for sale

items; try farmers’ markets, consumer coops, and gardens for fresh foods

Storing food safely – to control food waste and prevent illness

Cooking food well – use cooking processes that retain maximum food value and maintain food safety.

Food and Health Practices