Understanding the listeria outbreak

By Catherine Zende
zendec@mytjnow.com

An employee of Winthrop Dining Sercives refills the salad bar in Thomson Cafe. Employees of Dining services recieve training on how to properly prepare, handle, and store food served on campus. Photo by Catherine Zende - zendec@mytjnow.comIt seems that you cannot open a newspaper or turn on the TV without hearing about some sort of food recall. Whether it is eggs, peanut butter or meat, the American public is consistently bombarded with warnings about dangerous foods.

Nearly 48 million Americans (or 1 out of 6) will become sick because of foodborne diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In 2010 there were 12 multistate outbreaks of foodborne diseases. And the 12th outbreak of 2011 involves the bacterium listeria which causes listeriosis.

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by consuming food that is contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, according to the CDC.

This latest outbreak of listeria is linked to cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado. According to the CDC, a total of 109 persons infected with the outbreak strains have been reported and 21 deaths have been reported.

Those most at risk for serious illness are pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

So if you do not fall in one of these categories, are you safe? Not exactly. While young, healthy individuals rarely get seriously ill, they can still become sick from the listeria outbreak.

If you are concerned about protecting your food and your health, there are some simple things you can do to decrease your risk of infection. Because most listeria outbreaks are linked to food consumption, protecting your food is vital.

According to the CDC, listeria has been linked to many raw foods including uncooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, unpasteurized milk and foods that may become contaminated after processing (soft cheeses, hot dogs and deli meats).

Safe handling steps can decrease the risk for exposure. The CDC recommends rinsing, scrubbing, drying and properly storing fruits and vegetables.

You may think it is obvious to rinse the apple before you bite it, but would you rinse the orange? To prevent listeria, even if you do not intend to consume the skin of the produce, you still need to rinse and scrub.

Meats should be cooked thoroughly to prevent listeria (and other foodborne diseases). But preparation of the food is only one part of the process; the storage of food (like leftovers) is critical to preventing foodborne diseases.

The CDC recommends using pre-cooked or ready-to-eat food as soon as possible. For example, an opened package of hotdogs should be stored no longer than a week and an unopened package of hotdogs should be stored no longer than two weeks.

Luncheon deli meats should be stored no longer than two weeks if they are unopened and no more than three to five days if opened.

In general, leftovers should be stored in shallow containers with airtight lids or enclosed with plastic wrap or foil for no more than three to four days.

If you are one of the many Winthrop students living on campus you may rely on Winthrop Dining Services for most of your meals. So what is Winthrop doing to protect the food consumed in Thomson Cafe?

According Pam Yurkovic, director of dining services, “Serving safe, nutritious and quality food is our top priority as we work to deliver great experiences for our customers.”

Dining Services seeks “fresh, quality foods from local, regional and national suppliers who meet [our] high-quality standards,” Yurkovic said.

So how does Dining Services know if a supplier is good enough to feed Winthrop students? “Vendors must have an excellent reputation and food safety record, as well as a documented, ‘trackable’ product safety and recall program,” Yurkovic said.

In addition to choosing high-quality suppliers, Dining Services regularly evaluate these suppliers. “We also conduct frequent audits of our suppliers to assess the continued high quality of their operations,” Yurkovic said.

The employees and managers of Dining Services are called “stewards of food safety,” Yurkovic said. They review all safety procedures regularly before beginning any shift.

In addition, they “monitor their locations’ temperature logs, sanitation schedules and employee hygiene standards during each service,” Yurkovic said.

While Winthrop Dining Services may have a handle on safe food preparation, you may not always be as sanitary. If you start to feel sick and wonder if the cantaloupe you had for breakfast is the culprit, you may suspect listeriosis.

Understanding the symptoms of listeriosis is vital to prevent confusion with other illnesses. According to the CDC, symptoms for listeriosis include fever and muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

The key is to be smart about food prepartion. If any or all of the symtpoms appear, consult a physician for further help.

For more information regarding listeriosis and other foodborne diseases, go to www.cdc.gov/listeria.