A Comprehensive Guide to Food Safety
Although the United States food supply is one of the safest in the world, the Center for Disease Control estimates that 76 million people contract a foodborne illness every year, 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die. Foodborne contaminants originate in food establishments, in the food processing industry and in the home.
While you cannot control what goes on before you purchase your food, you can control food safety within the home. By taking careful measures, you can avoid foodbourne illnesses and not become one of the statistics. Learn about important information regarding food safety measures to practice within the home, what contaminants are prevalent, and links to food safety authorities.
Hot Topics in Food Safety
• Food Safety News: E.coli illnesses across 6 states; steaks recalled
• The New York Times: Salmonella outbreak in Africa
• Press Association: Fears over CJD, human form of mad cow disease
• MedPage: vCJD risks possibly more than expected
• WSDA: Recent illnesses reported from drinking raw milk
• Star News Online: Texan oysters sicken diners
• Environmental Health News: EPA to require disclosure of pesticide ingredients in foods
• CSPI: Investigation finds decline in foodborne outbreak investigations by state health officials
• CNN: Slim-Fast recalls shakes due to possible bacterial contamination
Food Safety Authorities
• FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• EPA: Environmental Protection Agency food safety
• USDA: United States Department of Agriculture
• CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Sentate.gov: Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
• NCFSS: National Coalition for Food Safe School
• NFSEM: National Food Safety Education Month
• NEHA: National Environmental Health Association
• CIFOR: Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response
• AFSI: The American Food Safety Institute
Food Safety in Food Science, Technology and Agriculture
• Georgia Tech: Food safety bio sensor that detects pathogens
• University of Florida: National Food Safety Database
• AgiLife Extension: Electron Beam Technology Research
• Illinois Institute of Technology: National Center for Food Safety and Technology
• Penn State: Good agricultural practices for food safety
• CAHFS: California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System
• Food Safety Consortium: Food safety research on E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella
• Poultry Science Association: Research of H1N1 in US turkey flock
Food Safety in the Home
• Fight Bac: Safe food handling and foodborne illness information
• Washington State: Food safety guidelines
• Ask Karen: A USDA knowledge base with information for preventing foodborne illness, safe food handling and storage and safe food preparation
• ADA: Home food safety tips including lunch box safety, desktop dining and handling meats and seafood
• UW Madison: Food safety in your home
• FDA: Consumer food safety facts about bottled water, foodborne illness outbreaks and raw milk
• Michigan.gov: Food handling tips
• FoodSafety.gov: Federal food safety information including minimum cooking temperatures, storage times for refrigerator and freezer and simple steps to juice safety
• Digestive Diseases: Bacteria and foodborne illnesses
• University of Minnesota: Cutting board safety
• Saint Louis County Health: Cross contamination in food preparation
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