1.9 Unit Outline

📘 Unit 1: Food and Kitchen Safety

1.1 Introduction to Food Safety

Food and Nutrition Go Hand in Hand

• Food delivers essential nutrients.
• For example:
  • Milk provides protein, calcium, vitamin D, and more.
  • Fruits satisfy sweet cravings while supplying fiber and vitamins.

🔪 1.2 Safety in the Kitchen

Kitchen Hazards

• Knives can cause cuts.
• Burns from hot liquids and grease fires are common.
• Most household fires start in the kitchen.

 Kitchen Safety Rules

• Rule 1: Learn to use a fire extinguisher (PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep).
• Rule 2: Learn to handle knives properly. (Video here) 
• Rule 3: Wear safe clothing and tie back long hair.
• Rule 4: Wear closed-toe, slip-resistant shoes.
• Rule 5: Prevent burns; stir and lift pot lids away from you.
• Rule 6: Avoid placing hot dishes on cold surfaces.
• Rule 7. Avoid metal utensils on nonstick pans.
• Rule 8. Never use the same cutting board for raw meat and produce.

🛡️ 1.3 Safety of Our Foods

What Is a Safe Food Supply?

• Foods free from physical (hair, plastic), chemical (cleaners, pesticides), and biological (bacteria, viruses) contaminants.

Government’s Role

• Local health departments inspect all food service establishments that feed the public.

• Inspection reports must be posted for customers to see and are often reported publicly.

Types of Foodborne Illnesses

• Infectious: Caused by live microbes (killed by heat).

• Toxic: Caused by heat-stable toxins from microbes. (Not killed by heat)

Microbe Growth Needs – F.A.T.T.O.M.

• Food, Acid (low), Temperature (40–140°F), Time, Oxygen, Moisture.

•  Avoid keeping foods at the “Danger Zone” temperature for > 2 hours.   
  • USDA Danger Zone: 40–140°F; ServSafe: 41–135°F.
    • (Room temperature is between these ranges.)
  • Note: Microbes grow fast when in the Danger Zone range
  • Refrigerate or freeze foods soon after eating to get them out of the Danger Zone. 

Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHFs) 

• Foods that are high in protein may cause foodborne illness.
• Animal products, cooked plants/starches, raw sprouts, soy products.

🧼 1.4 Promoting Food Safety

The Four Core Steps

• Clean: Hands, surfaces, and foods.
• Separate: Avoid cross-contamination.
• Cook: Use proper temperatures.
• Chill: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Preventing Cross-Contamination 

Note:  Cross-contamination is the transfer of harmful microbes from one food or surface to another, often when raw and cooked foods come into contact. )

• Use a separate cutting board for handling raw meat and another one for handling produce.
• Sanitize boards with a bleach solution.
• Discard worn or grooved boards.

Handwashing Guidelines

• Wash before/during/after food prep, after bathroom use, sneezing, etc.
• Follow the 5-step handwashing process.

Hand Sanitizers: Pros & Cons

• Easy to use, but not effective on dirty hands or chemicals.

Buying Foods Safely

• Avoid dented cans, mold, torn packaging, and thawed/re-frozen items.

Storing Foods 

• Keep eggs on inside shelves of refrigerator (not in the door).
• Store raw meat at the bottom of the refrigerator
• Eat leftovers within 3–5 days. (Freezing is best for large amounts of leftovers.)

Preparing Raw Foods

• Wash fresh produce, defrost meats safely, and use clean and separate boards for cutting meat vs produce.
• Don’t marinate meats at room temperature.

🌱 1.5 Safe Food Systems

What Is a Food System?

• The whole journey of foods: from production → consumption, → disposal.

Food Regulation in the U.S. 

 United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  Regulates the safety and labeling of food, dietary supplements, medications, cosmetics, and medical devices 

• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees agriculture, food production, nutrition assistance programs, and the safety of meat, poultry, and processed egg products.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulates environmental factors that affect food and water, including pesticide use on crops and setting safe standards for drinking water quality.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  Monitors and investigates foodborne illness outbreaks and provides public health guidance/

Global Organizations

• World Health Organization (WHO)   International food safety standards, monitors global foodborne illness threats, and supports clean water access worldwide.
• United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)  Works to improve food security, develop sustainable agriculture, and support global efforts to ensure safe food and clean water supplies.
• Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) develops international food standards, guidelines, and codes.

🧊 1.6 Preserving & Processing Foods

Preservation vs Processing

• Preservation: Slows spoilage (e.g., refrigeration, canning).
• Processing: Transforms raw ingredients (e.g., baby carrots, frozen foods).

Pasteurization & Irradiation

• Kills pathogens and extends shelf life.

Commonly Irradiated Foods

1. Meats, eggs, produce, spices, sprouts.

🦠 1.7 Biological Contaminants in Foods

How Contaminants Cause Illness

• Live microbes multiply after ingestion or produce toxins that cause illness.
• Most foodborne illnesses are mild, but some can become very serious.

Common Pathogens

• Top 6: Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Staph aureus, Norovirus, E. coli.
• Other threats are botulism, Listeria, Giardia, Trichinella, and Cryptosporidium.

Mold and Mushrooms

• Mold roots penetrate foods—cutting off the surface isn’t safe.
• Toxic mushrooms produce mycotoxins and cannot be made safe by cooking.

⚠️ 1.8 Chemical Contaminants in Foods

Common Chemical Hazards

• Pesticides from unwashed produce.
• Cleaning chemicals during food prep.
• Industrial contaminants from the food chain.

Other Sources

• Growth hormones, antibiotics, and food additives.
• Confusing food date labels—”best by” is about quality, not safety