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At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

A preliminary evaluation of the effect of glove use by food handlers in fast food restaurants.

A study was conducted to determine whether the levels of selected microorganisms differed on foods handled by gloved and bare hands at fast food restaurants. Three hundred seventy-one plain flour tortillas were purchased from fast food restaurants and analyzed for Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., coliform bacteria, and heterotrophic plate count bacteria. Approximately 46% of the samples were handled by workers wearing gloves compared with 52% of samples with bare hand contact. Coliform bacteria were found in 9.6% of samples handled by gloved workers and 4.4% of samples handled by bare hands, although this difference was not statistically significant. The distribution of heterotrophic plate count bacteria, a general measure of hygiene, was also higher in samples handled by gloved workers in one restaurant chain. The presence of E. coli, Klebsiella sp., and S. aureus was detected in one, two, and eight samples, respectively, and there were no significant differences between samples handled by gloved or bare hands. Neither direct contact of the tortilla with the food preparation surface nor gender of the worker affected the level of any organism tested. The observed tendency of food workers to wear the same pair of gloves for extended periods and complacency might account for the apparent failure of gloves to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. The results further suggest that glove use might be counterproductive because workers might wash their hands less frequently when gloved.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2001

Consumers and foodborne diseases: knowledge, attitudes and reported behavior in one region of Italy.

A survey was conducted to investigate knowledge, attitudes and related behavior on foodborne diseases and food-handling practices among consumers in one region of Italy. A self-administered questionnaire was offered to a random sample of mothers of children attending public schools. Of the 394 responding mothers, 36% knew about all the six foodborne pathogens investigated but only 11.1% correctly indicated six related different food vehicles; education level was a predictor of this knowledge. A positive attitude towards foodborne disease control, significantly higher in older and more educated women, was reported by the great majority, who agreed that improper storage of food represents a health hazard (95.7%), that washing hands before handling unwrapped raw or cooked food reduces the risk of food poisoning (93.2%), and that the awareness of the temperature of the refrigerator is crucial in reducing risk of food poisoning (90.1%). Only 53.9% reported washing hands before and after touching raw or unwrapped food and 50.4% reported using soap to wash hands. A total of 75.6% clean kitchen benches after every use and 81.1% use hot water and soap for this purpose. Only 25.6% thaw food in the refrigerator and 49.9% put leftovers in the refrigerator soon after meals. Washing hands before and after touching unwrapped food was significantly higher in women living in larger families and who had been informed by physicians about foodborne diseases. Educational programs and the counseling efforts of physicians, particularly focused to less educated subjects, are greatly needed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Causes of eczema in the food industry.

In a retrospective study covering a five-year period, 3664 consecutive patients suspected to suffer from contact dermatitis were patch tested in a private dermatology clinic. 180 of these patients had food handling occupations; they were employed in restaurant or institutional kitchens, fish factories, bakeries, or slaughterhouses. 25 of the 180 patients had protein dermatitis caused by meat or vegetables. This particular dermatitis was most common among restaurant personnel who make openface sandwiches and fish factory workers. 59 of the 180 patients had positive patch tests: 9 of these were to the food items: onion, lettuce, potato and carrot. For 91 of the 180 patients the dermatitis was considered to be occupational.

Dermatitis, Occupational↗
PubMed2001

An outbreak of Norwalk-like viral gastroenteritis in a frequently penalized food service operation: a case for mandatory training of food handlers in safety and hygiene.

In 1999, in Toledo, Ohio, an outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred among people who had attended a Christmas dinner banquet and had eaten food prepared by a local caterer. Overall, 93 of the 137 attendees (67.9 percent) reported illness. Eight sought medical care, and one was hospitalized. Case-control studies revealed that the illness was associated with eating tossed salad (odds ratio [OR] = 2.5, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-6.26). Eleven of 12 stool specimens that were taken from ill people tested positive for a Norwalk-like virus (NLV) but were negative for E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella. The primary source of the outbreak was not determined, but an infected food handler may have played a role in the transmission of the virus. The catering facility had been cited frequently for food safety and hygiene violations. None of the personnel or food handlers at this facility had been appropriately trained in safe food-handling practices, nor had the personnel at another local caterer that had prepared food items suspected of causing a multistate outbreak of NLVs. In Toledo, food service operations with trained personnel/food handlers received better inspection reports than food service operations without trained personnel and were less likely to contribute to foodborne outbreaks. Training of personnel and food handlers may be important for preventing outbreaks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Foodborne enteric infections.

Foodborne infections are estimated to affect one in four Americans each year. Most these (67%) are caused by the Norwalk-like viruses, but Campylobacter and nontyphoidal Salmonellae together account for about one fourth of cases of illness in which a pathogen can be detected. Less common bacterial infections, such as with Listeria monocytogenes and the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, cause fewer infections but are important because of their severe complications or high mortality rate, or both. This review describes the recent development of a national surveillance system for foodborne illness, newer methods for molecular characterization of organisms for epidemiologic studies, and individual etiologic agents in the order of frequency of occurrence. Methods for decreasing the disease burden are discussed, including education of health care professionals and the public, modification of food-handling behaviors, the use of food irradiation, and the application of probiotics to foods.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Ethnic-food safety concerns: an online survey of food safety professionals.

As ethnic foods become increasingly available in food establishments across the United States, food safety professionals are increasingly required to evaluate the safety of foods unfamiliar to them. The purpose of the study reported here was to conduct an online survey of food safety professionals that would 1) identify the types of ethnic foods with which food safety professionals were unfamiliar and for which they lacked adequate food safety information, 2) describe ethnic-food safety concerns related to food establishments, and 3) describe the ethnic-food resources currently used by food safety professionals. The study found that food safety professionals throughout the United States encountered a variety of ethnic-food establishments and ethnic foods for which they lacked ethnic-food safety resources, especially at the local level. Therefore, it will be important to identify unsafe food-handling practices in ethnic-food establishments, develop science-based guidelines for ethnic-food safety inspections, and distribute culturally appropriate educational materials for ethnic-food safety inspections.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2006

Microbiological evaluation of sugarcane juice sold at street stands and juice handling conditions in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.

Fresh sugarcane juice is sold by street vendors without any heat treatment in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. Twenty-four samples of point-of-sale juice were tested by standard methods to determine heterotrophic bacteria, total and thermo-tolerant coliform counts, Salmonella, and parasites in the juice. 25% of samples showed poor sanitary conditions, with thermo-tolerant coliform levels higher than allowed by Brazilian standards. Salmonella spp. and parasites were absent in all samples. Thermo-tolerant coliforms were detected on the hands of 37% of juice handlers, and heterotrophic bacterial counts reached 2.0 x 10(3) cfu/per hand. Escherichia coli was detected in one hand sample, and no Salmonella spp. was detected. Screening questionnaires were used to interview the vendors, and 62% of interviewees were either unfamiliar with or failed to adopt adequate hygiene for food handling.

Beverages↗
PubMed1985

Intrinsic mineral labeling of edible plants: methods and uses.

The fate of minerals can be conveniently studied through intrinsic labeling techniques. The mineral of interest is biologically incorporated into the food in a form that can be distinguished analytically from the natural form of the element. Radiolabels have traditionally been used to study such problems as the uptake of minerals by plants, the gross and subcellular mineral distribution in plant tissues, the form and associations of the deposited mineral, and the bioavailability of minerals to animals and humans. The use of stable (nonradioactive) isotopes as a label offers the potential of safely studying bioavailability of minerals from individual foods in human population groups of all ages using foods processed in normal food handling and processing facilities.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

Consumer-phase Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis risk assessment for egg-containing food products.

We describe a one-dimensional probabilistic model of the role of domestic food handling behaviors on salmonellosis risk associated with the consumption of eggs and egg-containing foods. Six categories of egg-containing foods were defined based on the amount of egg contained in the food, whether eggs are pooled, and the degree of cooking practiced by consumers. We used bootstrap simulation to quantify uncertainty in risk estimates due to sampling error, and sensitivity analysis to identify key sources of variability and uncertainty in the model. Because of typical model characteristics such as nonlinearity, interaction between inputs, thresholds, and saturation points, Sobol's method, a novel sensitivity analysis approach, was used to identify key sources of variability. Based on the mean probability of illness, examples of foods from the food categories ranked from most to least risk of illness were: (1) home-made salad dressings/ice cream; (2) fried eggs/boiled eggs; (3) omelettes; and (4) baked foods/breads. For food categories that may include uncooked eggs (e.g., home-made salad dressings/ice cream), consumer handling conditions such as storage time and temperature after food preparation were the key sources of variability. In contrast, for food categories associated with undercooked eggs (e.g., fried/soft-boiled eggs), the initial level of Salmonella contamination and the log10 reduction due to cooking were the key sources of variability. Important sources of uncertainty varied with both the risk percentile and the food category under consideration. This work adds to previous risk assessments focused on egg production and storage practices, and provides a science-based approach to inform consumer risk communications regarding safe egg handling practices.

Bacteriophage Typing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender role preference and family food chores.

OBJECTIVE: To learn how couples stratified by gender role preference (GRP) manage food chores. DESIGN: One-time, individual semistructured qualitative interview with each partner in a couple representing 1 of 3 GRP pairings. SUBJECTS/SETTINGS: Volunteers were recruited using advertising and snowball sampling and met the criteria of (1) both parents living at home, (2) wife no older than 40, and (3) at least one child under age 6 and, if present, all others under age 18. Both partners in volunteer couples completed a 31-item GRP scale, and the scores of each partner were categorized as traditional (lowest 25% of possible scores), transitional (middle 50%), or egalitarian (top 25%). No traditional couples volunteered. A purposeful sample of 10 transitional and 10 egalitarian wives representing 20 couples were interviewed. VARIABLES MEASURED: Each partner was asked to describe their current food chore responsibility, their opinion of the balance of responsibility, and how this role assignment had changed since first married. ANALYSIS METHODS USED: Thematic content analysis, constant comparison, and consensus produced the final thematic analysis. RESULTS: Couples in which both partners were transitional assigned food chore responsibility primarily to accommodate the breadwinner's role. Couples in which both partners were egalitarian used three different strategies to handle food chores. IMPLICATIONS: Educators should consider the differences found when designing interventions for recently married couples and parents of young children.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The cannabinoid CB1 antagonist AM 251 produces food avoidance and behaviors associated with nausea but does not impair feeding efficiency in rats.

RATIONALE: A growing body of evidence suggests that cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonists have potential therapeutic utility as appetite suppressants. However, the specific mechanisms underlying the reduction in food intake produced by these drugs are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: Considering the known antiemetic and motor-suppressive effects of CB1 agonists, the present studies were conducted to determine if the reductions in food intake induced by the CB1 antagonist AM 251 could result from nausea or impairments in intake-related motor control, rather than solely from appetite suppression. METHODS: Three experiments were conducted to examine the effects of AM 251 (2.0, 4.0, or 8.0 mg/kg or vehicle) on detailed parameters of food intake, on the development of conditioned taste avoidance, and on taste reactivity. RESULTS: In the first experiment, acute administration of AM 251 dose-dependently decreased food intake; nevertheless, feeding rate (grams consumed per time spent eating) and food handling were unaffected, which suggests that food intake was not reduced because of severe motor impairments. In the second experiment, AM 251 dose-dependently reduced intake of a flavor with which it had previously been associated, indicating that conditioned taste avoidance had developed. Lastly, AM 251 was found to induce conditioned rejection reactions in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: The CB1 antagonist AM 251 may reduce food intake in part by inducing nausea or malaise, but not because of incoordination or motor slowing related to feeding.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Foodborne hazards of microbial origin.

Foods can serve as vehicles of many pathogenic and toxigenic agents of disease. Bacterial agents comprise three groups: 1) those that grow in the food and produce an active toxin before consumption (e.g., clostridium botulinium); 2) those that merely exist as contaminants in the food but are able to initiate infection when swallowed (e.g., Salmonella spp.); and 3) those that multiply and produce large numbers of vegetative cells in the food, then release an active enterotoxin when they sporulate in the gut. A few parasitic (e.g., Trichinella spiralis) and viral agents (e.g., hepatitis A) also can be transmitted by food. Botulinum poisoning is the deadliest foodborne disease. The potential danger of botulism from cured meats is a major factor in the argument over use of nitrites as meat curing agents. A new disease called infant botulism has been recognized since 1976. Apparently it is not foodborne but results from intraintestinal growth of C. botulinum in very young infants. Salmonellosis is the most important of the foodborne diseases from the standpoint of overall human health. The primary vehicles are contaminated raw meat, poultry, and eggs. Faulty food handling practices are responsible for most food poisoning in the United States.

Bacillus cereus↗
PubMed1986

[Chemical contaminants in food].

Due to a direct material linking between environment and man via breath, food and potable water, toxic substances have always been in the food of man, only modern analytical methods have made it possible to safely register concentrations in the ppb-range and below. This is why we discover more and more potential hazardous substances in food, becoming conscious of the full extent of contamination more and more. Such concentrations make a toxicological evaluation very difficult, most of all when a long-term effect is concerned. There are different reasons for the occurrence of toxic substances in our food. Substances occurring naturally in food like trypsin inhibitors, solanine and cumarin. Substances that are added to food purposely. To these belong artificial dyes and sweetening agents, sulphur dioxide and pesticides resp. herbicides. Substances that are formed during the production, preparation or storage of food like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, peroxides of unsaturated fatty acids, mycotoxins and nitrosamines. Substances that are taken in due to environmental influences, considering primarily the toxic heavy metals lead, cadmium and mercury as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Legislative authorities have taken numerous steps to protect the consumer against food that is detrimental to his health, based mainly on the so-called "principle of prohibition" that stands for the general prohibition of additives as long as they are not formally permitted. The fundamental prohibition of the "Lebensmittel- und Bedarfsgegenständegesetz" (law for food and requirements) to produce or handle food in such a way that its consumption is qualified to harm the health of the consumer, has an extensive protective effect. This effect is supported by regulation for additives and special directives. An important group of possibly toxic substances in our food are pesticides and their residues. In 1985 1839 pesticides based on 302 active components were officially admitted in the Federal Republic of Germany, 40% of these as herbicides, 23% as insecticides. The investigations of the food control authorities are oriented on the regulation of maximum amounts for pesticides which includes maximum values for about 470 active substances. There is a report on special investigations of the "Landesuntersuchungsamt" (office for the investigation of food and requirements).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in raw and cooked food.

A total of 402 Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from a variety of food samples and screened for enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Screening was carried out using 15 specific monovalent antisera from Murex Diagnostic Limited. A total of 19 E. coli isolates were serotyped as EPEC. The EPEC strains were shown to belong to 8 serotypes. Eight out of 19 EPEC strains belonged to serotype 018C:K77 (B21). Seventeen out of 19 of the EPEC strains were isolated from cooked food. The presence of E. coli in cooked food is an indicator of fecal contamination and a sign of unhygienic food handling. The presence of EPEC in food could be a potential source of food-borne outbreak. Hygiene training for every food-handler is a necessity.

Beverages↗
PubMed1989

Investigation of a food-borne outbreak of salmonellosis among hospital employees.

An explosive outbreak of Salmonella enterocolitis developed in 27 hospital employees in an acute-care community hospital in Rhode Island in 1987. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from the stools of 19 employees during the outbreak. In each patient the implicated organism had an identical antibiotic susceptibility pattern, biotype, plasmid profile, and restriction endonuclease digestion pattern. The outbreak was limited to health care workers and other hospital employees; there were no cases in hospitalized patients. Of the afflicted employees 96% ate in the hospital cafeteria on July 11 or 12, 1987. Food-specific attack rates, based on the dietary histories of ill employees and 50 healthy employees who ate in the cafeteria that weekend, indicated an association between the ingestion of salads and illness (p less than 0.01). One food service employee, in whom symptoms of abdominal cramping and diarrhea had developed 6 days earlier, had prepared the implicated foods. S. typhimurium with the identical characteristics of the outbreak strain was isolated from the stools of this food service employee. Environmental cultures and cultures of meat, poultry, and dairy sources for the cafeteria all showed negative results. Food service employees need to be counseled against working during any symptomatic enteric illness and require thorough instruction on hygienic food handling.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Overview of dietary flavonoids: nomenclature, occurrence and intake.

Flavonoids and their polymers constitute a large class of food constituents, many of which alter metabolic processes and have a positive impact on health. Flavonoids are a subclass of polyphenols. They generally consist of two aromatic rings, each containing at least one hydroxyl, which are connected through a three-carbon "bridge" and become part of a six-member heterocyclic ring. The flavonoids are further divided into subclasses based on the connection of an aromatic ring to the heterocyclic ring, as well as the oxidation state and functional groups of the heterocyclic ring. Within each subclass, individual compounds are characterized by specific hydroxylation and conjugation patterns. Many flavonoids in foods also occur as large molecules (tannins). These include condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins), derived tannins and hydrolysable tannins. For proanthocyanidins, three subclasses (15 characterized) have been identified in foods. Monomers are connected through specific carbon-carbon and ether linkages to form polymers. Derived tannins are formed during food handling and processing, and found primarily in black and oolong teas. Flavonoids are widely distributed in nature, albeit not uniformly. As a result, specific groups of foods are often rich sources of one or more subclasses of these polyphenols. The polyphenolic structure of flavonoids and tannins renders them quite sensitive to oxidative enzymes and cooking conditions. Scientists in several countries have estimated intakes of a few subclasses of flavonoids from limited food composition databases. These observations suggest large differences in consumption, due in part to cultural and food preferences among populations of each country.

Diet↗