Getting In the Food Safety Discovery Zone
Question: What’s 40 feet long, bright yellow, and helps to keep you healthy?
Answer: No, it’s not an overgrown banana. It’s the USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone, also known as our Food Safety Mobile. The Discovery Zone will be traveling to state fairs, public events, supermarkets, and schools around the country this summer and fall. Our goal is to provide visitors of all ages with interactive and fun experiences that teach them how to Fight BAC, the bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses.
We launched the Discovery Zone last week on the National Mall, and the first thing we noticed is how children and their families were attracted to the vehicle and curious about the life-size characters outside, such as Thermy™ and BAC®. When they entered Discovery Zone, they found a brightly colored, fun-house kitchen with several learning stations, including “The Danger Zone,” “Through the Microscope,” and “The Microwave.”
By now, most children seem to have learned the importance of washing hands to prevent illness. Even so, the kids on the Discovery Zone loved the “Germs That Glow in the Dark” station, where they learned about the importance of hand washing. They also got a kick out of “Through the Microscope,” where they could get an up-close view of bacteria like E. coli that cause foodborne illness.
We found out that it’s not just the kids who enjoyed learning about food safety. At the “Food Thermometer” station, a number of avid backyard barbecuers assured us that they “could tell by looking” when a hamburger is done. They were surprised to see for themselves that the color of the meat doesn’t always indicate that it’s safe to eat. They learned that you need a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and seafood – on the grill (and everywhere else, for that matter), to make sure they’re safe to eat.
While the primary mission of the Discovery Zone is education, we can also deploy it in the event of a natural disaster to support local food safety education efforts. When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck in 2005, an earlier version of the Food Safety Mobile demonstrated how to sanitize kitchen items and provided critical food safety supplies.
In June, the Food Safety Discovery Zone will be on the road, traveling to Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Kansas, and Michigan. You can follow our activities on our Discovery Zone Web site and on Twitter. You can also take a virtual tour on YouTube or submit a request for the Discovery Zone to visit your school, market, or other events.
Protecting Yourself From Food Allergies
As the Director of the FDA’s Food Labeling and Standards Staff, it’s my job to ensure that consumers have accurate, complete, and informative labels on the food that they buy. One of the areas that is a top concern for us from a food safety perspective is food allergies.
If you or a member of your family suffer from food allergies, you must protect yourself at all times. While some allergies are just irritating, approximately 30,000 Americans go to the emergency room each year to get treated for severe food allergies.
What is a food allergy? It is a specific type of adverse food reaction involving the immune system. The body produces an allergic antibody to a food. Once a specific food is eaten and binds with the antibody, an allergic response occurs.
A food allergy is not the same as a food intolerance or other non-allergic food reactions. A food intolerance is an abnormal response to a food or additive, but it does not involve the immune system. Compared to food intolerances, food allergies pose a much greater health risk.
In fact, it is estimated that 150 to 200 Americans die each year because of allergic reactions to food.
What are the symptoms of a food allergy? The most common symptoms are:
- Hives, itching, or skin rash
- Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, or other parts of the body
- Wheezing, nasal congestion, or trouble breathing
- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
- Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
In a severe allergic reaction to food, you may have more extreme versions of the above reactions. Or you may experience life-threatening symptoms such as:
- Swelling of the throat and air passages that makes it difficult to breathe
- Shock, with a severe drop in blood pressure
- Rapid, irregular pulse
- Loss of consciousness
To reduce the risks, FDA is working to ensure that major allergenic ingredients in food are accurately labeled. Since 2006, food labels must state clearly whether the food contains a major food allergen. The following are considered to be major food allergens:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans
- Soybeans
- Wheat
- Fish
- Shellfish such as crab, lobster, and shrimp
These foods account for 90 percent of all food allergies in the United States
So, remember to take all measures to protect yourself and your family members who suffer from food allergies. In addition to avoiding food items that cause a reaction, we recommend that you:
- Wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace stating that you have a food allergy
- Carry an auto-injector device containing epinephrine (adrenaline)
- Seek medical help immediately if you experience a food allergic reaction
Mother’s Day Breakfast in Bed: Delicious and Safe
On Mother’s Day, many families have a tradition: the kids prepare and serve breakfast in bed for Mom. It’s a great opportunity not just to celebrate mothers but also to help kids learn the basic lessons of food safety. Besides, the goal is to serve a safe, delicious breakfast in bed – not give Mom a foodborne illness that will leave her sick in bed!
Lesson 1. Keep Everything Clean
Bacteria and viruses can be hiding just about anywhere: in the kitchen, on a plate and on hands. These invisible enemies can make Mom sick. Always wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before and after preparing food, after playing with pets or handling pet food, and after using the bathroom.
Wash all fruits and vegetables with running tap water before cutting or eating them. Put food on clean surfaces only. Always use clean knives, forks, spoons, and plates.
Lesson 2. Keep Raw and Cooked Foods Separated
Cross-contamination is the scientific word for how bacteria can be spread from one food to another. To prevent cross-contamination, always keep raw meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood (and their juices) away from ready-to-eat foods.
Always wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot, soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood. Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
Lesson 3. Cook Food to Safe Temperatures
You can’t see, smell, or taste bacteria that cause foodborne illness. That’s why you should use a food thermometer to make sure food has reached a safe internal temperature. You can't tell food is cooked safely by how it looks.
Always place the food thermometer in the thickest part of the food, away from bone and fat, to check the temperature. Always cook eggs before eating them. When cooked, eggs should be firm, not runny.
Lesson 4. Keep Perishable Foods Cold
To grow and multiply, bacteria need time and the right environment: moisture and warmth. Most bacteria grow quickly between 40 °F and 140 °F (the Danger Zone). Some bacteria can double their numbers every 20 minutes.
Some foods that need to stay cold (at 40 °F or below) include sandwiches or salads made with meat and poultry; tuna and egg salad; milk, cheese, and yogurt; and peeled or cut fruits and vegetables.
Refrigerate any leftovers from Mom’s special meal within 2 hours. Throw out perishable food left out for more than 2 hours, and don’t feed it to your pets. Even pets are susceptible to foodborne bacteria. To reheat leftovers safely, make sure they reach 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
A great resource to help kids learn the basics of food safety is the Be Food Safe Activity Book. This activity book contains twelve pages of colorful puzzles and games that teach food safety principles in a fun and entertaining way.
Questions and Answers
Posted May 17, 2010, updated June 3, 2010
Q. What about freezing leftovers and storing in the freezer for a month or two?
A. Food that is kept frozen (constantly at 0 degrees F) will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy storage. For guidelines on storing leftovers and other foods, see Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer.
Q. What about freezer burn?
A. Freezer burn appears as grayish-brown leathery spots on food. It's caused by air reaching the surface of the food. The product remains safe to eat, but the areas with freezer burn will be dried out and tasteless. If you'd like, you can trim away freezer-burned portions, either before or after cooking the food. If the food is heavily freezer-burned, you may have to discard it for quality reasons. It may be too dried to eat or have an unpleasant flavor.