food safety myths

Know how. Know now.

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University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County

Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Dept.

I wish I’d known these things!

Questions? Email ahenneman1@unl.eduUpdated November, 2011. This is a peer-reviewed publication.

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10 Safety Myths10 Safety MythsDon’t be “myth”-led!

Following arethe facts for 10 common foodsafety myths...

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Myth 1Myth 1

If it tastes okay, it’s safe to eat.

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Fact 1Fact 1

Sight

Smell Taste

Don’t counton these to tell you ifa food issafe to eat!

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Estimates of foodborne illnesses

in the U.S. each year, about ...

48 million peoplebecome ill

48 million peoplebecome ill

3,000 people die3,000 people die

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Would this many people eat something if they thought it tasted, looked or smelled bad?

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Even if tasting would tell …

A “tiny taste” may not protect you.

As few as 10 bacteria could cause somefoodborne illnesses, such as E. coli!

Why risk getting sick?Why risk getting sick?

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Myth 2Myth 2

If you get sick from eating a food, it was from the last food you ate.

OOPS!

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Fact 2Fact 2

It can take ½ hour to6 weeks tobecome sickfrom unsafe foods.

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You usually feel OK immediately after eating and become sick later.

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Foodborne illness is NOT a pretty picture!

Hey guys, I have to throw up!

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Myth 3Myth 3

The worst that could happen to you with a foodborne illness is an upset stomach.

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Fact 3Fact 3

Upset stomachDiarrhea

Fever

Dehydration(sometimes severe)OOPS!

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Less common, but possible severe conditions

ParalysisDeath

Meningitis

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Myth 4Myth 4If I’ve never been sick from the food I prepare, I don’t need to worry about feeding it to others.

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Fact 4Fact 4Some people have a greater risk for foodborne illnesses.

Is the food safefor everyone at

the table?

Is the food safefor everyone at

the table?

A food you can safely eat might make others sick.

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People with a higher risk for foodborne illness

Pregnantwomen

Pregnantwomen

InfantsInfantsYoung children and

older adults

People with weakened immunesystems and individuals withcertain chronic diseases

People with weakened immunesystems and individuals withcertain chronic diseases

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Myth 5Myth 5People never used to get sick from their food.

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Fact 5Fact 5

Many incidents of foodborne illness went undetected in the past.

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Symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were often, and still are, blamed on the “flu.”

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Foodborne illness vs. flu

More common in foodborne illness:

Gastrointestinal NauseaVomitingDiarrhea

More common in flu:

RespiratoryChest discomfortCoughNasal congestionSore throat Runny or stuffy nose

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More reasons for foodborne illnesses than in the past ...

Bacteria have become more potent over the years.

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Still more reasons ...

Our food now travels farther with more chances for contamination.

In days gone by, the chicken served at supper may have been in

the hen house at noon!

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Myth 6Myth 6

As long as I left the lid on a food that has sat out too long, it is safe to eat.

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Fact 6Fact 6Though food may be safe after

cooking, it may not be safe later.

Just one bacteria in the food can double in 20 minutes!

Just one bacteria in the food can double in 20 minutes!

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How many bacteria will grow from one bacteria left at room temperature for 7

hours?

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2,097,152!

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Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours at a refrigerator temperature of 40°F or lower.

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On a hot day (90°F or higher), food should not sit out for more than one hour.

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Myth 7Myth 7

If you let a food set out for more than two hours, you can make it safe by heating it really hot!

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Fact 7Fact 7Some bacteria, such as Staphylococcus (staph), produce toxins that are not destroyed by high cooking temperatures. Image: Content provider: CDC/Matthew J. Arduino, DRPH,

Photo credit: Janice Haney Carr

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Did you know “Staphylococcus” comes from a Greek word meaning “a bunch of grapes?”

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Myth 8Myth 8

If a hamburger is brown in the middle, it is cooked to a safe internal temperature.

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Fact 8Fact 81 out of 4 hamburgers turns brown before it has been cooked to a safe internal temperature.

http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Thermometers_Are_Key_FactSheet.pdf

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Which ground beef patty is cookedto a safe internal temperature?

http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Thermometers_Are_Key_FactSheet.pdf

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This IS a safely cooked hamburger (internal temperature of 160ºF) even though pink inside.

This is NOT a safely cooked hamburger. Though brown inside, it is undercooked.

http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Thermometers_Are_Key_FactSheet.pdf

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Research shows some ground beef patties look done at internal temperaturesas low as 135ºF. A temperature of 160ºF is needed to destroy E. coli.

http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Thermometers_Are_Key_FactSheet.pdf

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How to use a food thermometer1. Wash thermometer

with hot soapy water before and after use.

2. Use before the food is expected to be “done.”

3. Place in the thickestpart of the food, not touching bone, fat or gristle.

4. Compare reading to USDA recommended safe minimum internal temperatures.

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USDA has revised its recommended cooking temperature for all whole cuts (steaks, roasts, and chops) of meat, including pork, beef, lamb and veal to 145 °F and then allowing a 3 minute rest time before carving or consuming.

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Photo courtesy of FSIS/USDA Image LibraryPhoto courtesy of FSIS/USDA Image Library

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A “rest time” is the amount of time the product remainsat the final temperature, after it has been removed from a grill, oven,or other heat source.

4242 Photo courtesy of Cattlemen’s Beef Board & National Photo courtesy of Cattlemen’s Beef Board & National

Cattlemen’s Beef AssociationCattlemen’s Beef Association

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During the 3 minutes after meat is removed from the heat source, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise. This destroys pathogens and produces a product at its best quality.

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3 temperatures to remember

Ground meats (including ground beef, veal, lamb, & pork): 160 °F with no rest time

All poultry (including ground chicken & turkey): 165 °F with no rest time

Whole cuts of meat (including pork, beef, lamb, & veal steaks, roasts, & chops): 145 °F with addition of a 3 minute rest time

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Photo courtesy of Cattlemen’s Beef Board & National Cattlemen’s Beef Photo courtesy of Cattlemen’s Beef Board & National Cattlemen’s Beef

AssociationAssociation

This change does NOT apply to ground meats, including ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork, which should be cooked to 160 °F and do not require a rest time.

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Photo courtesy of FSIS/USDA Image LibraryPhoto courtesy of FSIS/USDA Image Library

The safe cooking temperature for all poultry products, including ground chicken and turkey, remains at 165 °F.

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Food thermometers & thin foods

On an “instant-read” dial thermometer, the probe must be inserted in the side of the food so the entire sensing area (usually 2-3 inches) is positioned through the center of the food.

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Food thermometers & thin foods

When possible, use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature of a thin food. The sensing area is only ½- to 1-inch long and easier to place in the center of the food.

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Digital and dial thermometers in thin foods

Digital thermometer Dial thermometer

Photo courtesy of the Nebraska Beef Council

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Myth 9Myth 9

Meat and poultry should be washed before cooking.

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Fact 9Fact 9

Washing meat and poultry is NOT necessary or recommended.

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Washing increasesthe danger of cross-contamination,spreading bacteriapresent on thesurface of meat and poultry to: ready-to-eat foods kitchen utensils counter surfaces.

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Cooking meat and poultry to the recommended internal temperature will make them safe to eat.

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Myth 10Myth 10

We shouldbe scared of eating almost everything!

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Fact 10Fact 10“... the American food supply continues to

be among the safest in the world.”

Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D., Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

November 15, 2006 http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t061115a.html

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Proper foodhandling helpsassure that foodis safe to eat.

4 steps to follow...

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Remember: When in doubt ...Remember: When in doubt ...

TOSS IT OUT!!!TOSS IT OUT!!!

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Resources used: Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The Food Spoilers: Bacteria and Viruses. http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/H/HE-

0654 (Accessed June 15, 2010). CDC. Food-Related Illness and Death in the United States. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol5no5/mead.htm (Accessed

June 21, 2010). Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D., Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, November 15, 2006. http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t061115a.html (Accessed June 21, 2010).

USDA. “Is it done yet?” http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/IsItDoneYet_Magnet.pdf (Accessed June 21, 2010). USDA. Safe Food Handling – How Temperatures Affect Food.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/how_temperatures_affect_food/index.asp (Accessed June 15, 2010). USDA. Thermometers are Key. http://origin-www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Thermometers_Are_Key_FactSheet.pdf (Accessed

June 21, 2010). USDA. USDA Revises Recommended Cooking Temperature for All Whole Cuts of Meat, Including Pork, to 145 °F.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_052411_01/index.asp (Accessed November 28, 2011). USDA. Why Does USDA Recommend Using a Food Thermometer? http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/thermometer.html

(Accessed June 21, 2010). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bad Bug Book: Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins

Handbook – Onset, Duration, and Symptoms of Foodborne Illness. Available at http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm071342.htm (Accessed June 15, 2010).

Source of images: Microsoft Image and Media Library, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Image Library, CDC image library, original graphics created by UNL Lancaster County Extension Office.

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Thank you to the following people for reviewing this slide set ...

Julie Albrecht, Ph.D, R.D. Phil Rooney, Ph.D., CP-FS Cindy Brison, M.S., R.D. Zainab Rida, M.S., R.D. Amy Stalp, Dietetic Student Vicki Jedlicka, Extension Media Assistant

Know how. Know now.

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Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.