When you eat something, you assume you’re not going to get sick from it. That’s because today’s governments work hard to ensure that our food is as safe as it possibly can be.
It wasn’t always that way. After the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s and early 1800s, food began to be transported farther distances. The distance between where food was produced and where it was consumed grew.
At the same time, food became more and more processed. Companies developed new products like canned pie filling, canned soup, and canned chili. Machines did more of the work, replacing people who could watch every step. With increased processing came a greater chance that something bad could happen to the food.
Industrial Revolution: the name of the period of time that started in the late 1700s in England when machines replaced people as a way of manufacturing.
regulated: controlled by rules or laws.
During the early 1900s, an author named Upton Sinclair spent a lot of time in Chicago researching his new novel, The Jungle. Sinclair’s goal was to write about the plight of American workers, many of whom worked for extremely low pay under terrible circumstances. In The Jungle, he specifically discussed the horrifying conditions in meat-packing plants.
When he published the book in 1906, readers were appalled more by its descriptions of the unsavory aspects of meat processing than by the poverty of the workers. They demanded change—and they got it. The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 required food processing plants to undergo regular inspections and maintain high standards. The Act showed that food safety was now a public concern.
About 20 years later, the U.S. government created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce the rules established by the Pure Food and Drug Act. Today, the FDA monitors the safety of food, medicines, vaccines, cosmetics, pet food, and many other products.
Despite our best efforts to keep food safe, an estimated 76 million cases of food-borne illness (or food poisoning) occur each year in the United States.
Food is much safer now than in Upton Sinclair’s day. But you still have to make sure to properly handle and cook your family’s food to avoid food poisoning by bacteria.
In most cases, these bacteria won’t kill you. However, being sick definitely isn’t fun, so be sure to take extra precautions with uncooked meat in your kitchen. When you dine out, eat hamburger that is completely cooked and has no pink inside at all.
SALMONELLA is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of animals. If you eat something contaminated by salmonella you can suffer diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps for up to a week. Protect yourself by not eating raw or undercooked eggs and meat, and by keeping raw meat away from other foods in your refrigerator. Use separate cutting boards to cut raw meat and other foods. Also, wash your hands immediately after touching birds or reptiles, which can be carriers of the bacteria.
E. COLI is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of cattle. When you cook ground beef, cook it long enough to raise the temperature inside high enough to kill any bacteria that might be lurking there. Ideally, your hamburger should not be pink inside.
CAMPYLOBACTER is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of birds. Avoid eating undercooked chicken. Also, don’t store raw chicken in your refrigerator so any juice can drip down onto other food.
bacteria: microorganisms found in soil, water, plants, and animals that are sometimes harmful.
expiration date: the date food should be eaten by.
While proper handling and packaging can postpone the decay or spoilage of food, eventually the food will go bad. That’s why manufacturers put an expiration date on packages. This tells consumers when the food should be used.
If you look at expiration dates on different products, however, one may say “use by,” while another may say “expires on.” Turns out, they all mean slightly different things.
Unfortunately, the labeling of foods is an inexact science, because it’s hard to predict exactly when packaged foods will spoil.
It’s a good idea to eat any fresh meat within two days of bringing it home from the store. Why? Because in the store, the meat is kept at a chilly 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degree Celsius). Inside your home refrigerator, it’s usually warmer than that. Bacteria can start to grow on meat when temperatures rise, especially if the meat has a lot of surface area, like ground beef. You can also freeze meat for up to three months.
IF IT SAYS … IT MEANS
Sell by … After this date, grocers should take the product off the shelves. Depending on what the product is, they may discount it and sell it for a short time at a reduced price.
Use by … After this date, you shouldn’t eat the product.
Best before ... The quality or flavor of the product will be best if you eat it before this date.
Best if used by … The same as “best before.”
Expires on … After this date, the product will be unsafe to eat.
Milk is often packaged in cardboard or opaque plastic containers to prevent it from losing vitamins when it’s exposed to light. If milk is pasteurized, it can stay fresh for about five days past its “sell by” date.
You may have heard in the news about certain foods being recalled. In 2009, the FDA recalled almost 4,000 products containing peanuts because of concerns about salmonella contamination. The recall included everything from peanut butter and ice cream to pet food. Recalls show that our food safety system is working the way it should.
Ancient additives included natural things like salt and vinegar, which were used to preserve food. Today, some additives are still natural, while others are artificial, or made from chemicals.
Sometimes manufacturers add substances to food products. These are called additives, and they’re used to change the food’s color, appearance, taste, and longevity. By using additives, manufacturers hope to make their products more appealing.
Some additives may not be very healthy for you. For example, food dyes used in the past made some people sick. Although the FDA tests additives for safety, people can have allergic reactions to them.
If you’re concerned about additives in the products you eat, check the ingredient list on the packaging. Look to see if something was added.
opaque: not clear.
recalled: when an entire batch of food is returned to the manufacturer because of a safety issue.
additive: something added to food to change its characteristics.
longevity: how long food lasts.
allergen: something that triggers an allergic reaction.
histamines: chemicals that protect the body against allergens.
IF THE LABEL SAYS … IT’S USED TO
Sodium nitrates ... color, flavor, and preserve foods, as well as help prevent the growth of the bacteria that cause botulism, a form of food poisoning.
Aspartame … artificially sweeten foods.
BHA and BHT (butylated hydroxyanisole and hydroxytoluene) … preserve foods, and especially to prevent oils from going bad.
MSG (monosodium glutamate)... flavor foods.
Sulfites ... preserve foods, and especially prevent discoloration in dri fruits and other products.
Artificial colors ... change the color of food to improve its appearance.
Sometimes people experience an allergic reaction to certain kinds of food. They can develop a rash, have their lips or face swell up, or have a hard time breathing.
Food allergies occur when a person’s body is sensitive to an allergen present in certain foods. Suppose a person is allergic to peanuts. When this person eats peanuts, his or her body responds to the peanuts as though they are invaders.
The body jumps into action—overreaction, in this case—and tries to fight off the “invaders” by releasing chemicals called histamines. These chemicals produce the symptoms of an allergic reaction: a rash, swelling, and/or trouble breathing.
Common foods that cause allergic reactions include eggs, milk, nuts (including peanuts), wheat, shellfish, fish, and soybeans.
Play food detective in your own house and protect your family from any unsafe foods that might be lurking. Bring the following checklist to your kitchen and cross off each item as you complete it.
1 First, check the expiration dates on the perishables in your refrigerator. If you have raw meat that was purchased more than two days ago, put it in the freezer or eat it tonight. Throw out any dairy products that are past their expiration dates, and make a note to eat or drink others that are approaching their dates.
2 Check to make sure the raw meat is stored in a bin or below the fresh foods in your refrigerator, so it can’t drip any juices on them.
3 Leave the thermometer in the refrigerator for about an hour, and then check the temperature. It should be between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit (1-3 degrees Celsius). If your refrigerator is any warmer, your food may spoil faster.
4 Make sure that everyone who uses your kitchen washes their hands before and after handling food, especially raw meat and eggs. Cooking utensils and counter surfaces should also be thoroughly scrubbed down before and after use.
5 Designate one cutting board for raw meat, fish, and poultry and another for bread and produce.
6 Cook all meats thoroughly, especially meat with a lot of surface area, like hamburger.
7 Make sure to use up anything that’s been defrosted. Never put food back in the freezer to re-freeze.
8 Copy this checklist and hang it up in your kitchen. Refer to it often to make sure your kitchen stays in top shape!
In this activity, you’ll see for yourself that taste is influenced by the color of food.
1 Beat egg whites with electric mixer until very stiff. Add vanilla and salt and blend together.
2 Add sugar gradually until the mixture is stiff again. Divide mixture into two separate bowls.
3 Add lemon extract and orange food coloring to one bowl. Add orange extract and yellow food coloring to the second bowl. Mix both well.
4 Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius).
5 Ask friends and family members to try the candy. See if they can guess the flavors correctly. Chances are, their first reaction will be to call the orange-colored candy “orange flavored” and the yellow-colored candy “lemon flavored!”