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Crown Point High School @InklingsCPHS May 18, 2018 Vol. 82 Issue 9
Read about the Unified Track and Field Team on page 11
“Summer Roadmap”: Plan ahead for summer
pages 8 & 9
LETTUCE TALK
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY REKITZKE
E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce raises food safety concerns BY ANDREA JOHN ASHLEY REKITZKE co-editor-in-chief assistant editor
Sometimes it can be safer to eat a candy bar over lettuce leaves. The nation is experiencing an E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce produced in and around Yuma, Arizona. One person has died and 149 cases have been reported since the outbreak began in March, according to the CDC. Indiana State Department of Health media relations coordinator Megan Wade-Taxter said food contamination can stem from many reasons. “Contamination, growth and survival of a pathogen depend greatly on the food, the pathogen and the food’s production process and environment,” said Wade-Taxter. “These factors are considered when preventing and responding to a food safety hazard. In addition, contamination of a food could occur at any point from the farm all the way to the consumer’s plate.” Romaine lettuce has been recalled and pulled from shelves across the country. The CPCSC
Food Safety 101
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food service director Pam Maloney has been in contact with vendors regarding the E. coli outbreak. “Our vendors keep us informed of all recalls,” Maloney said. “The romaine lettuce that was from Yuma, Arizona growing region was recalled and we pulled it from our shelves. Gordon Food Service, who is our primary food supplier, notified us. They were also very quick to move their processing to Salinas, California where the romaine was safe.” In the state of Indiana, it is required for every food establishment to have at least one person who is ServSafe certified. ServSafe is a food and beverage safety training and certification program administered by the National Restaurant Association. “We are required to have one person in each of our kitchens certified in a ServSafe course,” Maloney said. “I take it a step further and require every manager and all production staff members to take the course and earn certification. In addition, every new staff member must attend the class and all non-production staff members must pass our own food service sanitation class.”
CLEAN: wash hands, utensils and surfaces
Culver’s of Crown Point assistant general manager Andrew Gale has been in the food service industry for nine years. Gale is ServSafe certified and in the course he learned about different ways to practice food safety, such as food organization and temperature. “Some of the things we learned are the way you should organize the food in the cooler, such as poultry on the bottom, and ready to eat foods at the top,” Gale said. “That way if they thaw, blood or juices don’t fall onto something they shouldn’t. I could give an hour long meeting on taking temperatures alone. They’re so important.” Many food service establishments follow a procedure called Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). All school cafeteria employees take the course that teaches the importance of food safety. “The HACCP program follows the flow of food from start to finish,” Maloney said. “This includes buying from a reputable source, inspection of product upon delivery, checking temperatures of food at delivery, cooking temperatures, holding food tem-
SEPARATE: avoid cross contamination
peratures and cooling temperatures. Our equipment temperatures are also monitored to make sure they are working properly.” Family and consumer science teacher Julia Collins applies food safety in her personal and school life by controlling certain foods that are likely to be dangerous to eat such as meat, dairy and raw vegetables. “I enforce food safety on a daily basis. Time and temperature control for safety is enforced at all times in my classroom. There are certain foods that are potentially hazardous foods that students need to make sure are controlled at all times,” Collins said. “For example, meats need to be held in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Rice needs to be held hot, in a warmer until ready to serve. Cross-contamination is prevented by using certain cutting boards for specific foods and washing knives in between cutting different foods.” Maloney notes that most food safety issues stem from personal hygiene issues, such as improper hand washing. see food safety on page 3
CHILL: refrigerate items promptly
Romaine Calm Food supply chains now cross multiple national borders. Good collaboration between governments, producers and consumers helps ensure food safety. Unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances, causes more than 200 diseases. Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick. Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems, and harming national economies, tourism and trade. An estimated 600 million people fall ill and 420,000 die every year due to contaminated food. Information provided by: https://www.cdc.gov/ foodsafety/keep-food-safe.html and http:// www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/ detail/food-safety
COOK: food to the right temperature