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Protect Food from Microbial Contamination through Food Safety Education

Plan Goal

Work on pathogenic foodborne microorganisms and parasites in raw, minimally processed, or inadequately processed and preserved foods distributed through retailers,food service or consumers.

Situation Statement

There are an estimated 76 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States. Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to foodborne diseases each year. The most severe cases tend to occur in the very old, the very young, those who have an illness already that reduces their immune system function, and in healthy people exposed to a very high dose of an organism. New challenges to the U.S. food supply have prompted US Food and Drug Administration to consider adopting a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)based food safety system on a wider basis. One of the most important challenges is the increasing number of new food pathogens. For example, between 1973 and 1988, bacteria not previously recognized as important causes of food-borne illness--such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enteritidis--became more widespread.
Dr. Albanese stated in FoodGard presentation (Centra, 2005)that in NM the risk of contamination of Salmonella from beef jerky is higher than from poultry or reptiles. Confirmed cases of illness from Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella contamination ranged from 120 to 350 cases annually in the year 1999 to 2003. NM participates in FoodNet and PulseNet which are illness surveillance systems designed to pinpoint food borne illness outbreaks and identify specific bacterial serotypes involved in the outbreaks.
Furthermore, the terrorist threat to the critical infrastructure of the food system is a real and current threat according to FDA National Counterterrorism Center. Also, the sabotage of food and water is the easiest means of biological and chemical attacks. The components of a Bio-security plan are threat analysis, vulnerability assessment, prevention, investigation and enforcement. A case study of un-intentional contamination of produce contaminated with Hepatitis affected more than 500 people in a very short period time over a large regional area, demonstrates the potential of food used as a vector to transmit illness or disease.

Target Audience and Actions

Consumers through County Agents: The target audience is county extension faculty of which many are new to extension. Furthermore many have a diverse background that doesn’t always include food processing or food safety training.

Activities:
• Provide basic home food preservation methods and updates on hot topics or recent food safety issues via email list serve.
• Present food safety information at in-service training for home economists and other extension staff and faculty.
• Provide county extension faculty with timely information and food safety materials.
• Provide quality educational programs to county extension faculty on a yearly basis.
• Identify trends in food safety issues. Determine focus of educational program based on local and national trends in food safety.
• Develop resources and guides to assist county extension faculty in assuring safe food products for consumers.
• Respond to consumer questions on food safety issues.
• Provide consumer education programs on food safety using “Partnership for Food Safety Education” materials.


Food Service Operators: Target audience includes restaurant, school and long term health-care facility employees in New Mexico, who are in constant need of training materials and evaluation of their food handling practices as well as safety of the food products served directly to consumers.
Activities:
• Several restaurants are using innovative packaging systems to prolong the shelf life of refrigerated food service menu items. The food technology program has provided technical and laboratory analysis to ensure the safety of these products.
• Provide technical services to food service operators in a timely manner.
• Provide quality educational programs in food safety, HACCP and regulations to food service operators on a yearly basis.
• Identify trends in food products analyzed. Determine focus of educational program based on local and national trends in food safety.
• Develop resources and guides to assist county agents and food service operators in assuring safe food products.

Food Processors: Target audience is food processors in Arizona, Colorado New Mexico, Texas, and Utah. Educational programming is geared to improve food safety systems used by processors and also to meet FDA requirements for training of processors who make acidified and low acid canned foods.
Activities:
• Present courses in Process Control, Food Safety (GAPs, GMPs, HACCP and FDA-certified courses) and product-specific training. These courses provide a valuable service to the entire US southwestern and border region.
• Identify trends in food products analyzed. Determine focus of educational program based on local and national trends in food safety.
• Develop resources and guides to assist county agents and food processors in assuring safe food products.

Short-Term Objectives

80% of participants of educational programming, including county agents, will increase their knowledge of food safety: keeping hands and surfaces clean, proper cooling, preventing cross contamination; HACCP and required regulations concerning commercial food processing and food service.

20% of NM food service operators will use NMSU for some part of their food product development including chemical and microbial laboratory analyses and technical support.

Medium-Term Objectives

80% of participants of educational programming, including county agents, will change their behavior related to food safety including keeping hands and surfaces clean, proper cooling, preventing cross contamination.

40% of NM food service operators will use NMSU for some part of their food product development including chemical and microbial laboratory analyses and technical support.

80% of participants of educational programming will use information of food safety, HACCP and required regulations to produce safe food products.

15% will implement HACCP plan in their operation.

Long-Term Objectives

30% of participants, including county agents, will have sustained use of adopted safe food handling practices 3 years after program completion.
30% of participants will decrease their rates of food born illness.

80% of NM food service operators will use NMSU for some part of their food product development including chemical and microbial laboratory analyses and technical support.

30% of participants will implement some type of food safety or HACCP plan 3 years after program completion.

Evaluation Plan

Assess services and educational programming provided to the county extension faculty, food processors and food service operators. Program will be evaluated with pre and post tests as well as a post-training phone survey 3 to 6 months later to gauge implementation of food safety, HACCP and required regulations.