Running head: FOOD SAFETY 1

Food Safety
Abigail Woodall
Wellness
September 12, 2014
Coach Taylor
FOOD SAFETY 2


Food Safety
When I first heard the term food safety my mind pictured a cereal killer with an empty
bowl, a few drops of milk and a giant menacing spoon. All joking aside, food safety is a pretty
big concern for the United States because everyone eats and we have to make sure that the items
that we consume are free of dangers from bacteria and other contaminants. Millions of people
fall ill every year and many die as a result of eating unsafe food. Serious outbreaks of foodborne
disease have been documented, and in many countries rates of illnesses are increasing
significantly (WHO). Most of the time people who get sick from food will get an upset
stomach, but this is not always the case. So, it is important to know how to properly handle food
to minimize a persons risk of getting ill.
According to the Food and Drug Administration there are four steps to food safety.
These steps include Clean: washing hands and surfaces often; Separate: separating raw meats
from other foods; Cook: cooking [food] to the right temperature; and Chill: refrigerating foods
promptly (FDA). The section Clean helps make sure bacteria gets washed away from hands
and surfaces and does not end up on the food. For example, the FDA recommends that a person
wash [their] hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling
food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling pets (FDA). Most people
learn this task at an early age, but according to the results from my food safety scores on local
restaurants, this is an often forgotten step. The next section is Separate. This has to do with
bacteria from one food spreading to another food, called cross-contamination (FDA). It is
important to use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry
and seafood (FDA). The section Cook has to do with proper cooking temperatures. I know that
every thanksgiving my family is very concerned about the internal temperature of the turkey.
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The reason is because food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature
to kill the harmful bacteria that cause illness (FDA). I just thought it was because it tastes
better! The FDA recommends that a person cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm
(FDA). I think that my morning egg will be scrambled from now on. The last section Chill
includes recommendations for cool temperature kept foods. It is important to refrigerate or
freeze meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, and other perishables within 2 hours of cooking or
purchasing (FDA). Now, I know why my mom is in such a rush to get our groceries put away
when we get home from the market.


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Dunkin Donuts is my favorite coffee shop on Sunday mornings. I was really glad to
learn that it has not received any violations in the past two years. Their lowest score was a 93
because they broke the FDA Separate rule. They kept non-food too close to real-food. Chemical
cleaners can make a person very ill. I am glad that they have resolved these issues and I will
continue to go to this restaurant!



La Casa is a restaurant that my neighbors go to all of the time. Theyve invited my
family to join them, but after seeing that their workers do not practice good hand washing skills,
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I am a bit skeptical. I do not think that I would go to this restaurant until I am certain that they
wash their hands after the bathroom or touching money.


Olive Garden is probably my Dads favorite restaurant for birthdays, before and after
deployments, anniversaries, and just any time he wants to celebrate. Their lowest score was
received two years ago and it had to do with proof of insects and rodents. Now, I wasnt there to
actually inspect things, but this means the inspector probably found mouse or insect droppings.
This is gross. Im just glad that they have corrected these issues and have scored 98 and above
since then! Had I known about this issue two years ago, I would not have gone.
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I am really surprised that Panera received such a low score. Their restaurant is always
amazingly clean. Weve been in there when it was super crowded and there was always
someone there cleaning bathrooms, washing hands, spraying sanitizer in the bathrooms, etc. I do
see that one of their issues had to do with meats not at the right temperature. This could be either
in the cooking or cooling section of the FDA procedure list. If this were a pattern in their
scoring, I would not go there any more, but it appears that this issue was a one-time occurrence.
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Gracious! This Subway is right next to our neighborhood and everyone goes there. They
have repeatedly not sanitized utensils and equipment and do not practice good hand washing.
Honestly, I will not go here until these issues are cleared up. The workers never use gloves when
making a sandwich and I just do not want to risk getting sick over a ham and cheese sub.


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Citations
Food and Drug Administration. Safe Food Handling. Food Facts from the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration. FDA. < www.fda.gov/.../Food/FoodborneIllnessC 2014.
World Health Organization. 10 Facts on Food Safety. Health Topics. WHO Programme on
Food Safety. <http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/food_safety/en/. October 2009.