Fighting BAC!

Food Safety in the Elderly Nutrition Program

1 — LOOKING AT THE ENEMY

Every year:– 76 million people get foodborne illness– 325,000 are hospitalized– 5000 die

1 in every 4 Americans will get foodborne illness this year.

Who is susceptible?

Older adults (65 years and older) Pregnant women Very young children (2 years or

younger) Individuals with compromised immune

systems Individuals who are malnourished

What causes foodborne illness?

Eating unsafe food Food becomes unsafe primarily because

of microorganisms, such as:– Bacteria– Viruses– Parasites

Any food can cause illness if it is not handled safely.

Common causes of foodborne illness

Improper cooling/holding of foods Not washing hands properly Using food from unsafe sources Cross-contamination Improper cooking

How do bacteria grow?

Bacteria double under ideal conditions every 30 minutes.– At 12:00 noon you can have 10 bacteria in a

food– By 5:00 p.m. there could be 10,240 bacteria. – This is enough to make one sick with

foodborne illness

What are ideal conditions for bacteria to grow?

Potentially hazardous food (PHF), which are:– low acid

– moist

– some protein Unsafe temperature

between 45oF and 140oF PHF at unsafe

temperatures for at least two hours

9Fighting BAC!

Activity — Potentially Hazardous Foods

Look at your site’s menu and highlight those foods that are potentially hazardous.

These foods need to be at 45oF or colder or 140oF or hotter.

The only way to determine if these foods are at the proper temperature is to use a thermometer.

Viruses and Parasites

Viruses are believed to be the number one cause of foodborne illness.– Viruses do not grow in food like bacteria do.– Viruses can contaminate any food, not just

potentially hazardous foods. Parasites do not cause many cases of

foodborne illness in the U.S.

To Fight BAC! against foodborne illness:

CLEAN: Wash hands and surfaces often

SEPARATE: Don’t cross-contaminate

COOK: Cook foods to proper temperatures

CHILL: Refrigerate foods promptly

2 — RECEIVING

Only purchase food from an approved source, such as:– permitted foodservice operation– grocery store– foodservice wholesale supplier

Inspect before you accept to be certain that the food meets your food safety standards.

Activity — Accept or Reject?

Which of these foods would you accept and why? Individual cartons of milk that are at 48oF A sheet cake that is uncovered Turkey and dressing at 132oF Cooked corn that is at 139oF Tossed salad that is at 44oF

Develop a Back-up Plan

Many of the foods on the previous slide had to be rejected.

You need a back-up plan in place so that if you have to reject you will still be able to feed the participants.

Share with the group what you would do if you had to reject a shipment of food.

3 — STORAGE All food must be:

– covered and clean

– in its original packaging or labeled

– marked with time and date of receipt

– stored at the proper temperature

– use a storage chart to determine how long you can keep

Chemical Storage

Store chemicals separate from food.

Keep them close to where they are needed.

Activity — What’s My Storage Temperature?

At what temperature do each of these

foods need to be stored: Individual containers of milk Chocolate chip cookies Turkey and dressing to be delivered to a home Tossed salad with carrots and tomatoes Rolls

4 — PREPARATION

Do not work if you are ill.

Wash hands with antibacterial soap and water before handling food.

Properly use single-use gloves.

Handwashing Sink

Clean Accessible Stocked with soap

and single-use paper towels

PREPARATION

Use safe ingredients. Wash fresh fruits and

vegetables with lukewarm water.

Prevent cross-contamination.

Activity — How well do you wash your hands?

Put a dime-size amount of the Glo-GermTM lotion onto your hands.

Rub all over like you would hand lotion. Wash your hands with soap and water. Return to a darkened room and check

how well you did by putting your hands under an ultra-violet black light.

5 — COOKING

Proper cooking kills harmful bacteria and parasites that are naturally present in raw foods.

Cooking will not necessarily destroy toxins or viruses.

Measuring Food Temperatures

1. Use a food thermometer that has a temperature range between 0-220oF.

2. Each day check the accuracy of your food thermometer(s) in ice water.

3. Clean and sanitize the thermometer before each use.

4. Insert into the thickest part of the food or into the center of the food.

Activity — What’s My Cooking Temperature?

To what temperature do you cook each of these foods? Frozen ground beef patties Turkey roast Commercially canned spaghetti sauce Chocolate chip cookies Vegetable soup Creamed corn

Activity — Calibrating Thermometers

Divide the group into teams. Give each team a thermometer and a

glass filled with crushed ice and water. Have each team check the accuracy of

their thermometer. If not at 32oF, then have them calibrate.

6 — SERVING

Keep hot foods at 140oF or hotter. Keep cold foods at 45oF or colder. Use cleaned and sanitized serving utensils. Wear clean clothes and keep hair restrained.

7 — LEFTOVERS

Congregate nutrition site should not be cooling hot foods or reheating them because:– the sites do not have commercial equipment to

properly cool foods. Review the leftover policy that appears in

the participant manual.

Participants takinghome leftovers

Improperly cooled food = unsafe food

Improperly cooled food must be discarded.

During cooling, spores could grow. Some form toxins Reheating, even to boiling

temperatures, will not necessarily destroy these toxins.

8 — CLEANING AND SANITIZING

CLEANING = removing dirt and debris

SANITIZING = killing 99.999% of harmful bacteria that might still be on the surface.

Cleaning and Sanitizing Steps

1. Wash surface with soapy water.

2. Rinse with clean water.

3. Immerse rinsed item into a properly prepared sanitizing solution.

4. Let soak for 2 minutes.

5. Remove and air-dry.

6. Store item in clean location.

Chlorine sanitizing solution

1 teaspoon unscented chlorine bleach

+

1 gallon, warm not hot water

=

Sanitizing solution at 50 ppm

Activity — Preparing sanitizing solution

Divide the group into teams. Give each team a spray bottle and

bleach. Have them prepare sanitizing solution. Have each group measure the

concentration. Demonstrate the proper procedure for

preparing sanitizing solution.

9 — HOME DELIVERED MEALS

Securely package and seal each food. Hold food at >140oF or <45oF. Use food delivery carriers that meet

NSF standards. Deliver meal within two hours from the

time the meal was placed in carrier. Clean and sanitize carriers after each

use.

“Foodborne illness is nearly 100% preventable if food is

handled safely from the time it is received until the time it

is served.”

Photos taken at:

Garner Senior Center

Garner, NC