Food and Drug Administration & Outbreaks

What is the FDA? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a federal government regulatory agency which is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.

FDA’s Role in preventing foodborne illness: The FDA oversees the safety of domestic and imported foods through monitoring programs for pathogens, natural toxins, pesticides, and other contaminants and through the assessment of potential exposure risk. Monitors and inspects food products to ensure compliance with food safety standards and inspection regulation. Oversees imports and exports of foods to ensure they are safe. Performs risk assessments and determines where the risks of contamination are based on scientific evidence and calculations, then the FDA predicts the best ways of preventing contaminations by specific substances in certain foods.

FDA’s Public Health Interventions The FDA provides specific recommendations from controlling the common risk factors for foodborne illness. These are known as public health interventions and are designed to protect public health. The following are the public health interventions: Demonstration of knowledge. Staff health controls. Controlling hands as a vehicle of contamination. Time and temperature parameters for controlling pathogens. Consumer advisories.

Demonstration of knowledge As a manager or owner of a restaurant, you must be able to show that you know what to do to keep food safe from foodborne illness and other dangers. One way to show this is to become certified in food safety.

Staff health controls Procedures must be put in place to make sure staff are practicing personal hygiene. For example, staff must know that they report illnesses and illness symptoms to management.

Controlling hands Controls must be put in place to prevent bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. One way to accomplish this would be to require employees to use tongs to handle ready-to-eat foods.

Time and temperature parameters Procedures must be put in place to limit the time food spends in the temperature danger zone. An example of this would be requiring food handlers to check the temperature of food being hot-held every two hours.

Consumer advisories Notices must be provided for consumers if you serve raw or undercooked menu items. This statement must include risks involved with consuming these types of foods.

Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

What is a foodborne illness outbreak? When two or more people have the same symptoms after eating the same food product or from the same food service operation, public health authorities consider it an outbreak. The EXCEPTION is botulism. Because of the severity of the illness a single case is considered an outbreak. Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illnesses by a nerve toxin that is produced be the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. An investigation is conducted by state and local regulatory authorities. The outbreak is confirmed by a laboratory analysis.

Who responds to outbreaks? Local agencies: most foodborne outbreaks are local events. Public health officials in just one city or county health department will investigate these outbreaks. State agencies: The state health department investigates outbreaks that spread across several cities or counties. This department often works with the state department of agriculture and with federal food safety agencies. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): For outbreaks that involve large numbers of people or severe illnesses, a state may ask for help from the CDC. The CDC usually leads the investigations of widespread outbreaks—those that affects many states at once. Federal regulatory agencies: The CDC collaborates with the FDA, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), throughout all the phases of an outbreak investigation. In the case of a foodborne illness outbreak, these federal agencies work to find out why it occurred, take steps to control it, and look for ways to prevent future outbreaks. They may trace foods to their origins, test foods, assess food safety measures in restaurants and food processing facilities, lead farm investigations, and/or announce food recalls.

Activity Suppose you are asked by your employer to create a rap, skit, or song that explains foodborne illness, role of the FDA, or procedures followed in the case of a foodborne outbreak to a middle school class who will be visiting in the coming week. Gather in groups and use what you have learned in Unit 3: Food Safety to complete this activity. Be sure to include key terms and the information from the lectures. Share your creation to the class! Be creative and have fun!