Test Your Food Safety Knowledge With A Foodborne Illness Quiz

Questions:

1. True or False: Freezing kills the bacteria that cause foodborne illness?
2. True or False: Thorough washing of contaminated leafy greens or vegetables is effective at eliminating the threat of foodborne pathogens?
3. True or False: Cooking food to its recommended temperature will protect you from foodborne illness?
4. True or False: When it comes to foodborne illness, organic foods are no safer than non organic foods?
5. True or False: Ultimately, it is the responsibility of consumers to protect themselves from foodborne illness?

 Answers:

1. Answer: False. While there are some bacteria that are sensitive to extreme low temperatures, such as Campylobacter jejuni, some of the worst food pathogens are not effectively controlled by low temperatures. Salmonella can survive in ice cream and E. coli can still cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) months after the contaminated food was frozen. 
2. Answer: False. When leafy greens and vegetables are contaminated, it is not the surface of the plant that is the source of the contamination. The food pathogens that are commonly linked to leafy greens and vegetables, such as E. coli and Salmonella, are actually thriving in the vascular structure of the plant. The vegetable absorbs bacteria from contaminated water. The bacteria survive inside the plant until an unwitting victim ingests the pathogen and gets food poisoning.
3. Answer: False. Cooking food to its proper temperature will kill most living foodborne illness pathogens in the food, but cooking does not effectively protect you from all forms of food poisoning. It takes very little bacteria to cause sickness, so cross contamination with pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 before food is cooked could make you just as ill as if you ate the food raw.

   Some pathogens aren’t poisonous themselves, but produce potentially deadly toxins that are not neutralized by recommended internal temperatures. Contamination with poisons such as lead or mercury are unaffected by cooking. Cooking is often not a preparation option for certain foods that might be contaminated, like deli meats, fruits, salad greens or peanut butter.

4. Answer: True. Organic foods are still at risk for contamination with a foodborne illness pathogen. Organic beef is a potential carrier of E. coli O157:H7, so it isn’t a matter of how the cow was raised as much as it is a concern of how the cow was processed. A mistake in the slaughter process could render an otherwise healthy product poisonous.

   Much of the U.S. organic food supply is provided by countries that are beyond the regulatory arm of the agencies responsible for food safety. China does not have the best reputation when it comes to providing clean healthy foods for export.

   Even organic foods can be poorly or improperly farmed or processed before the consumer ever brings the food home. There have been numerous recalls surrounding products certified organic. Organic spinach was responsible for an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in 2006. A few weeks back, organic raw tahini was recalled after testing positive for Salmonella and very recently, organic baby food was manufactured without proper acidity levels sparking a recall over botulism concerns.

5. Answer: False. The responsibility of the consumer is to expect safe, disease-free food. It is the responsibility of the consumer to expect that the food he/she might purchase does not contain feces contaminated with Salmonella or E. coli. It is the right of the consumer to expect the food he/she buys isn’t filled with pathogens that are going to cause long term complications from Guillain-Barré syndrome, reactive arthritis or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

   According to the CDC, “In the end, it is up to the consumer to demand a safe food supply; up to industry to produce it; up to researchers to develop better ways of doing so; and up to government to see that it happens, to make sure it works and to identify problems still in need of solutions.” This is a true and powerful statement. If everyone did their part, the consumer wouldn’t be the innocent, foodborne illness victim, but rather the safe and satisfied customer.

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Tags: campylobacter, Campylobacter jejuni, CDC, e coli, E. coli O157:H7, food borne illness, food poisoning, food safety, Guillain-Barré syndrome, hemolytic uremic syndrome, HUS, Leafy Greens, organic, pathogens, reactive arthritis, salmonella

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