What You Eat Can Kill You

FAT TOM. Not, a fat Tom, but F-A-T space T-O-M. This acronym stands for Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, and Moisture, which all deal with what is needed for bacteria to reproduce on food, according to the Central District's Health Department's (CDHD) video titled "Basic Food Safety Course - Part 1 Introduction."

Foodborne illnesses were reported to cause 76 million illnesses, 235 thousand hospitalizations, and 5 thousand deaths in 2007 in the U.S., according to the video. The CDC's most recent report stated that there are an estimated 47.8 million illnesses, 127,839 hospitalizations, and 3,037 deaths annually in the U.S. caused by foodborne illnesses.

In order to continue to reduce these numbers, like many of the other diseases and health concerns we have looked at on this blog, being knowledgeable about the topic is one of the best preventions.

Foodborne illnesses, as the name suggests, are started when something happens with the food, such as a contamination. There are three main types of contaminations, according to the video: chemical, physical and biological. Chemical and physical are much like they sound: harmful chemicals that get into the food when the food is not properly stored and physical objects that usually get into the food during preparation. Biological are a little more complex because it deals with natural or introduced organisms that are in the food. Typically the unnatural organisms are introduced when the food is improperly handled.

There are five types of biological contaminants, according to the video. These are bacteria, virus, protozoan, fungus and yeast, and parasites. Fungus and yeast are not known for causing illnesses but for causing food to spoil. These normally become present when the food is in an acidic environment and water activity is low. Preventing parasites is all about cooking and storing the food properly, as well as obtaining the food from a well-trusted, approved source. Parasites are most commonly found in fish, pork, and wild game. Protozoans need living organisms to thrive. A couple examples given were giardia and cryptosporidium. For more information about these check out the post titled "Wondering about Water Quality." Viruses, such as Hepatitis A and Norovirus, also need a living host. It is important to note that viruses are not killed as simply as people think; it takes more than just hot and cold holding.

Photo by Allison Cook. Meats, like the ones used to make this
meatball, are at risk for containing parasites. It is recommended
to only buy meat from well-trusted sources. 

Bacteria are the tough contaminants since they can grow just about anywhere. The top five bacteria, or pathogens, causing foodborne illnesses, according to the CDC are: Norovirus - causing 58% of the reported foodborne illnesses, Salmonella - causing 11%, Clostridium perfringens - causing 10%, Campylobacter spp. - causing 9%, and Staphylococcus aureus - causing 3%.

Luckily, we have FAT TOM to help us out when attempting to combat bacteria contaminations, according to the video. Please note, when talking about bacteria, it is all about what it takes for them to reproduce.
'F' stands for "Food." Foods that are high in carbohydrates (carbs) and/or in protein are liked by bacteria. Some foods in this group include seafood, poultry, meat, and cooked plants (like potatoes and corn).

Photo by Allison Cook. Pasta is a food that is high in carbs
and therefore falls under the 'F' precaution in the FAT TOM
acronym. These foods needs are favorites of bacteria.

'A' represents Acidity. Bacteria needs foods that are neutral or slightly acidic.
'T' stands for Temperature and Time (hence why there are two 'T's). Food between the temperatures 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 135 degrees Fahrenheit are in what's called the "danger zone" and can only remain within this zone for a maximum of four hours before it is considered potentially hazardous. This is because it is within this temperature zone that bacteria reproduce.
'O' represents Oxygen. There are two types of bacteria: those that need oxygen (aerobic) and those that don't (anaerobic).
'M' stands for Moisture. Bacteria need a water activity of 0.85 or more to thrive. For reference, it was stated that plain water has a water activity of 1.0.

Before we wrap this blog up, it is important to talk about some of the more commonly transmitted diseases that start in people and are transmitted through food. The CDHD put out a video titled "Basic Food Safety - Part 3: Poor Personal Hygiene," which talks about not only what the most common people-to-food-to-people diseases are but how to prevent the transmission from happening.

According to this video, Hepatitis A, Shigella, Salmonella Typhi, and Shiga-toxin producing E. Coli are the three most common types of commonly transmitted diseases through food. The video has four recommendations for preventing the spread of these illnesses: Washing your hands, showering or bathing daily, wearing clean clothes and reporting the illness as soon as you are aware that you have it.

The video highlights how important it is that food employees properly wash their hands. 20 seconds was the CDHD's recommended amount of time to spend scrubbing your hands with soap and water. It was also pointed out how important it is to clean under fingernails and in between your fingers because of how easy it is for our skin to pick up and hold contaminants. Finally, it is stated that one should dry their hands under a warm air dryer or use a single-use paper towel.

Photo by Allison Cook. As many mothers always said, it is
very important to wash your hands before eating. What they
didn't say was it's crucial to wash them before cooking. By
keeping good hygiene, you lower your risk of transmitting
diseases through the food you prepare.

There is one other virus that was mentioned earlier that needs to be touched on: Norovirus. This infection, also called the Cruise Ship virus, is very easily spread and is difficult to get rid of, according to Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic explains that the virus can withstand both the cold and the heat and is resistant to many disinfectants. The main ways one can obtain Norovirus is through eating or drinking contaminated food or water, touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth, and just being close by to those who have the infection. It is the latter way of obtaining that explains why it is sometimes called the Cruise Ship virus. Some symptoms to watch out for are vomiting or feeling nauseous, cramps, muscle pains, fever, and water/loose diarrhea. While the virus will only last one to three days, a person will shed the virus through using the bathroom for as long as two weeks.

Please, take the time to learn about the environmental hazards around you and take the preventative measures. As someone once said, "Prevention is Better Than Cure."