As an adult working the food safety industry, it horrifies me to think of how many food items my childhood self dropped on the floor and promptly picked up and put into my mouth.  I believed in the “5-Second Rule” like it was the 11th commandment.  In my young mind, it made perfect sense that the quicker I retrieved the tasty treat I had dropped, the greater were my chances of it arriving to my mouth “germ free.”  As I grew older I amended the rule:  “Does not apply if:  sticky, gooey, cheesy, or dropped in a public place/floor of car . . . “  That having been said, I admit that anything that qualifies as having a “candy shell” will probably still make it to my mouth after hitting the floor.  You would think I’d have a stronger immune system.

The July 2010 edition of National Geographic profiles the recent findings of Paul Dawson, Ph.D. and his graduate students (complete findings published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology).  He states, “The five-second-rule is a popular belief that if you drop food on the floor and pick it up within five seconds, it won’t be too germ laden to eat. It’s not true and we’ve proven it, it’s well, bologna.”  His study shows that foodborne illnesses like Salmonella can survive on a dry surface for up to four weeks and transfer immediately to food items upon contact.  In fact, the research was so conclusive that National Geographic has coined the new phrase “the Zero-Second Rule.”  That’s how much time, they state, your food has on the floor before it’s contaminated.  Bummer.

Sources:  National Geographic, Clemson University, Delish.com

Photo Credit:  Rebecca Hale, National Geographic Staff

The Center for Disease Control released some incredible findings this month–and since then the sun has shown a little less brightly for salsa and guacamole lovers (your humble author not excluded).  According to the CDC, fresh salsas and guacamole are the causes of 1 in 25 foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants and delis across the United States.  Specifically, of the 136 salsa/guacamole cases reported of foodborne illness outbreaks during a 10 year period, 36 were linked directly to guacamole, 95 to salsa, and the rest to both.  CDC representative, Robert Tauxe, specifically noted that all the cases involved freshly-prepared guacamole and salsas–not commercially packaged products.

Norovirus, which moms tend to call “the 24-hour flu” or “stomach flu,” thrives in environments where cut and porous vegetables (such as avocados, cilantro, peppers, and tomatoes) are left uncovered and poorly refrigerated.  In fact, Tauxe reported that the most common pathogens associated with these outbreaks were norovirus, salmonella, and E.coli, which all cause stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea in various degrees of intensity.

This study, which began in 2008, was originally prompted by an outbreak in St. Paul, MN in which 1,400 people were sickened by contaminated Serrano and jalapeño peppers used in freshly-prepared salsa.   Researchers examined reported restaurant and deli outbreaks from 1998 to 2008 and found that salsa and guacamole contributed to 3.9% of cases–a +200% jump from the previous decade.  Investigators are unsure what specific ingredients are leading to the contamination, but report that due to the varying recipes of salsa and guacamole, it is unwise to depend on the acidity of lemon or lime juice to fight off the growth of foodborne illness.

Micheal Doyle of the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety put it best when he said, “Refrigeration is the key to safe salsa.”  We’ll assume he meant guacamole too.

Image Source:  La Fonda Restaurant

Source:  USA Today

Salmonella

When talking about food safety, salmonella is a disease that gets brought up frequently.  This year, salmonella has prompted hundreds of food recalls from items as diverse as salami, tortilla chips, and salad dressing.  During the past few years, health officials have identified the bacteria in eggs, peanuts, black pepper, spinach, meat products and the list goes on and on.  Salmonella contamination becomes an even greater issue when contaminated food items are sent to multiple locations as ingredients as other products.  It becomes extremely difficult to trace where the infection began, and how far it spread.  This year alone, salmonella-contaminated black pepper was distributed as an ingredient in Italian-style deli meats, which then infected 252 people in 44 different states!  The same contaminated black pepper has also sparked countless spice, snack, and condiment recalls since January 2010.

Of the 2,000 strains of salmonella, only about a dozen can infect humans.  Still, the number of persons infected annually remains high from year to year.  The CDC estimates that there are a 1.4 million cases of salmonella infection each year in the United States, with only about 3% officially reported.  These numbers make is clear that it is impossible to overstate how crucial it is that food handlers become aware of this disease and how to protect consumers from it.

A few things to know about Salmonella:

• Salmonella can be transmitted from animals to humans (see Kissing Frogs) and from food to humans.
• Persons at greater risk for serious infection include infants, small children, chronically ill persons with weak immune systems, and the elderly.
• Salmonella can survive for weeks outside a living body.
• Salmonella is not destroyed by freezing.
• An infectious dose of salmonella can be as small as 15-20 cells (bacteria).
• Incubation period–the time it takes to get sick once a patient has contracted the disease–is anywhere from six to 72 hours.
• Common symptoms of salmonella infection include exhaustion, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (which can be bloody in serious cases!).

What can you do to prevent salmonella infection in the workplace?  One of the first things each food service employee must do to prevent infection of any kind is wash their hands.  For salmonella-specific prevention, the Mayo Clinic recommends the following practices:

1. Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly before eating (or serving).   Poultry specifically must reach 160º F throughout before it can be served.
2. Eggs must be cooked until they have a hard yoke.  Pasteurized eggs may also be used.  If consumers insist on soft yokes, they must be made aware of the risk of salmonella infection.
3. Never consume or serve raw milk.  Milk must be pasteurized to be used in a consumer setting.
4. Wash and sterilize hands, utensils, and surfaces immediately after they have come in contact with foods of animal origin.
5. Be extremely cautious when preparing food for babies, children, sick persons, or the elderly as they are at a greater risk of infection.

If you have additional questions about salmonella and how to prevent it, please contact your local health department.

Sources:  Mayo Clinic, Wikipedia

The US Department of Health and Human Services released an interesting article this morning about animals and their uncanny ability to give people salmonella–specifically birds, frogs,  snakes, turtles, and other amphibians.  Contact with these animals causes about 74,000 cases of salmonella each year in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).   Normally, salmonella is considered a foodborne illness, but children tend to handle these animals and then touch their mouths, eyes, and noses without washing their hands.  After the release of the animated film The Princess and the Frog, in 2009, dozens of little girls became ill with salmonella after feeling compelled to kiss frogs.  Even adults can become culprits of spreading salmonella this way when they clean aquariums and fish tanks in the kitchen, thereby contaminating areas where food is prepared.

Linda Capewell of the CDC recommends not having birds, snakes, or amphibians in homes with children under 5 years of age.  When children (and adults) handle these animals, they should wash their hands immediately–scrubbing with antibacterial soap for at least 20 seconds in a steady stream of warm water.