Chapter 6.00 - Introduction to Food Safety

Inspection

A formal review or examination conducted to see if an operation is following food safety laws.

Ready-to-eat food

Food that can be eaten without further preparation, washing, or cooking; some examples include washed fruit and vegetables (both whole and cut), deli meat, bakery items, sugar, spices, seasonings, and cooked food.

Contamination

Means that harmful things are present in food, making it unsafe to eat.

Pathogen

Microorganisms that cause illness.

Fungi

Organisms found in air, soil, plants, water, and some food that can cause illness but most commonly are responsible for spoiling food; mold and yeast are two examples of fungi.

Parasite

Organisms that get nourishment and protection from another living organism known as a host, such as a person, animal, or plant. Parasites can live in many types of food that humans like to eat and also can contaminate water. In the United States, the most common foodborne parasites are protozoa, roundworms, and tapeworms.

Food Allergens

The naturally occurring proteins that cause allergic reactions.

Physical Contamination

This occurs when objects get into food. These objects can be naturally occurring or accidents.

Cross-contact

When a food item containing an allergen comes in contact with another food item and their proteins mix; refers specifically to food allergens.

Foodborne Illness outbreak

When two or more people get the same illness after eating the same food, an investigation is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities, and the outbreak is confirmed by laboratory analysis.

Bacteria

A common type of microorganism; several species of bacteria are pathogens that can cause infectious diseases. Examples of foodborne bacteria include Salmonella Typhi, nontyphodial Salmonella, Shigella spp., and Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC).

Foodborne Illness

A disease transmitted to people by food.

FAT TOM

An easy way to remember the six conditions that bacteria need to grow: food, acidity, temperature, time, oxygen, and moisture.

High-risk Population

Certain groups of people that have a higher risk of getting a foodborne illness than others, such as elderly people, preschool-age children, and people with compromised immune systems.

TCS Food

Food that needs time and temperature control for safety because it is most vulnerable to pathogen growth; these types of food have the FAT TOM conditions needed for bacterial growth and are also commonly involved in foodborne-illness outbreaks.

People with Compromised Immune System

People with cancer or on chemotherapy, people with HIV/AIDS, and transplant recipients all have immune systems weakened by illness or treatment. Certain medications can also weaken the immune system.

Elderly People

People's immune systems weaken with age.

Hazard

Something with the potential to cause harm.

Food Allergy

The body's negative reaction to a food protein.

Virus

The leading cause of foodborne illness, viruses can survive refrigerator and freezer temperatures and grow inside a person's intestines after they are eaten. People can get viruses from food, water, any contaminated surface, or from other people. Examples of viruses that can cause foodborne illness include Hepatitis A and Norovirus

Temperature Danger Zone

The temperature range between 41°F and 135°F (5°C and 57°C), in which bacteria grow well; you can control the growth of most bacteria by keeping food out of the temperature danger zone.

Preschool-Age Children

Very young children have not yet built up strong immune systems.