Food Food SafetySafety……From Farm to TableFrom Farm to Table

By: Allison Weis

www.foodsafety.gov

I.I. Foodborne pathogens, Foodborne pathogens, contaminants, and resulting contaminants, and resulting illnessesillnesses

II.II. Governing AgenciesGoverning Agencies

III.III. Food Safety RegulationFood Safety Regulation

IV.IV. Example of Government Example of Government InitiativeInitiative

Pathogens & Pathogens & ContaminantsContaminantswhich cause foodborne illnesswhich cause foodborne illness

Natural toxinsNatural toxins BacteriaBacteria ParasitesParasites Viruses & prionsViruses & prions Chemical and physical contaminantsChemical and physical contaminants

Natural toxinsNatural toxins

Naturally Naturally occurring in occurring in fungi and fungi and reef fish, for reef fish, for exampleexample

aflatoxinaflatoxin

http://www.healthline.com/blogs/outdoor_health/uploaded_images/amanita_muscaria-770480.jpg

BacteriaBacteria

Infect intestinal tissues directly or Infect intestinal tissues directly or produce toxinsproduce toxins

Escherichia ColiEscherichia Coli SalmonellaSalmonella Listeria monocytogenesListeria monocytogenes Vibrio strainsVibrio strains

http://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/images/imscn080706_01_01.jpg

ParasitesParasites CyclosporaCyclospora

TrichinellaTrichinella

http://www.latech.edu/ans/graphics/trichinella.jpg

Viruses & PrionsViruses & Prions

Avian FluAvian Flu Hepatitis AHepatitis A NorovirusNorovirus Bovine Spongiform Bovine Spongiform

Encephalopathy (BSE)Encephalopathy (BSE)

Chemical & Physical Chemical & Physical ContaminantsContaminants

PesticidesPesticides Heavy metalsHeavy metals DioxinsDioxins PCBsPCBs

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Governing AgenciesGoverning Agencies

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)

Department of Health and Human Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)Services (DHHS) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

CDCCDC State health agenciesState health agencies

FSISFSISMission: to ensure that the nation’s Mission: to ensure that the nation’s

commercial supply of meat, poultry, and commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packagedcorrectly labeled and packaged

FDAFDA Enforces food safety laws governing all other Enforces food safety laws governing all other

domestic and imported fooddomestic and imported food Regulates $417 billion domestic and $49 billion Regulates $417 billion domestic and $49 billion

imported food each year (only about 80% of total)imported food each year (only about 80% of total)

General responsibilities General responsibilities of FSIS and FDAof FSIS and FDA

Inspect food production Inspect food production establishments and food establishments and food warehouses warehouses

Establish standards for practices Establish standards for practices and productionand production

Conduct researchConduct research EducateEducate

FSIS RegulationsFSIS Regulations Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point

(HACCP) systems have been in place since (HACCP) systems have been in place since 1998.1998.

Seven principles of HACCPSeven principles of HACCP Analyze hazardsAnalyze hazards Identify critical control pointsIdentify critical control points Establish preventative measuresEstablish preventative measures Establish procedures to monitor critical control Establish procedures to monitor critical control

pointspoints Establish corrective actionsEstablish corrective actions Establish procedures to verify that system is working Establish procedures to verify that system is working

properlyproperly Effective recordkeeping Effective recordkeeping

FSIS, continuedFSIS, continued

Performs ~ 22,000 inspection procedures Performs ~ 22,000 inspection procedures each day. ~ 1.4% non-compliance over each day. ~ 1.4% non-compliance over the past year.the past year.

Approved products are given the USDA Approved products are given the USDA mark of inspectionmark of inspection

Non-complianceNon-compliance Seize productsSeize products Condemn animals for disease or Condemn animals for disease or

contaminationcontamination

FSIS EnforcementFSIS EnforcementIf FSIS withholds If FSIS withholds

the mark of the mark of inspection, the inspection, the operation in operation in question is question is effectively shut effectively shut downdown

http://www.brookings.edu/gs/cps/ga/images/usda_sm.gif

And in recent news…And in recent news…

The FDA’s new The FDA’s new Food Protection PlanFood Protection Plan was signed on November 6, 2007 (last was signed on November 6, 2007 (last Tuesday!)Tuesday!)

It presents a practical, modern strategy to It presents a practical, modern strategy to protect the nation’s food supply from protect the nation’s food supply from unintentional contamination and unintentional contamination and deliberate attack.deliberate attack.

FDA Food Protection PlanFDA Food Protection Plan

1.1. PreventionPreventiona. Increased corporate responsibilitya. Increased corporate responsibility

b. Identification of vulnerabilities and riskb. Identification of vulnerabilities and risk

2.2. InterventionInterventiona. Inspectionsa. Inspections

b. New detection technologyb. New detection technology

c. Risk-based surveillancec. Risk-based surveillance

3.3. ResponseResponsea. Improve communication to lower reaction timea. Improve communication to lower reaction time

http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food.html

Food Protection Plan Food Protection Plan gives FDA increased gives FDA increased powerpower

FDA can now issue a mandatory recallFDA can now issue a mandatory recall FDA has better access to food records FDA has better access to food records

during emergenciesduring emergencies

A government initiative A government initiative for food safetyfor food safety

Problem: Numbers of E. coli cases have been Problem: Numbers of E. coli cases have been on the riseon the rise

FSIS responseFSIS response 75% increase in number of tests for E. coli in ground 75% increase in number of tests for E. coli in ground

beefbeef Accelerated review of suppliers and processorsAccelerated review of suppliers and processors

Testing earlier in production chainTesting earlier in production chain Plants held accountablePlants held accountable Rapid recallsRapid recalls More frequent and comprehensive testsMore frequent and comprehensive tests

Follow-up testing programFollow-up testing program

““We can’t provide zero risk We can’t provide zero risk because it doesn’t exist. What because it doesn’t exist. What we want to do is make sensible we want to do is make sensible use of the resources available use of the resources available to minimize that risk to to minimize that risk to consumers to the extent that consumers to the extent that we can.”we can.”

-Paul Mayers, CFIA-Paul Mayers, CFIA

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/foodsafety/

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http://www.latech.edu/ans/graphics/trichinella.jpghttp://www.latech.edu/ans/graphics/trichinella.jpg http://www.healthline.com/blogs/outdoor_health/uploaded_images/amanita_muscaria-http://www.healthline.com/blogs/outdoor_health/uploaded_images/amanita_muscaria-

770480.jpg770480.jpg http://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/images/imscn080706_01_01.jpghttp://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/images/imscn080706_01_01.jpg http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17349427/page/2/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17349427/page/2/ http://www.ag-network-chile.net/Fruits%20and%20Vegetables%205.jpghttp://www.ag-network-chile.net/Fruits%20and%20Vegetables%205.jpg http://fsrio.nal.usda.gov/path_contam.phphttp://fsrio.nal.usda.gov/path_contam.php http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food/plan.html#summaryhttp://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food/plan.html#summary http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food.html http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food.html http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_102307_01/index.asp http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_102307_01/index.asp http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/bghaccp.html http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/bghaccp.html http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Frame/FrameRedirect.asp?main=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Frame/FrameRedirect.asp?main=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/

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