Foodborne Illness primary prevention

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

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Overview[edit | edit source]

Primary Prevention[edit | edit source]

Prevention is mainly the role of the state, through the definition of strict rules of hygiene and a public services of veterinary surveying of animal products in the food chain, from farming to the transformation industry and delivery (shops and restaurants). This regulation includes:

• traceability: in a final product, it must be possible to know the origin of the ingredients (originating farm, identification of the harvesting or of the animal) and where and when it was processed; the origin of the illness can thus be tracked and solved (and possibly penalized), and the final products can be removed from the sale if a problem is detected;
• enforement of hygiene procedures like HACCP and the "cold chain";
• power of control and of law enforcement of veterinarians.

In August 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved Phage therapy which involves spraying meat with viruses that infect bacteria, and thus preventing infection. This has raised concerns, because without mandatory labelling consumers wouldn't be aware that meat and poultry products have been treated with the spray. [2]

At home, prevention mainly consists of good food safety practices. Many forms of bacterial poisoning can be prevented even if food is contaminated by heating it sufficiently, and either eating it quickly or refrigerating it effectively. Heating to about 65 degrees Celsius for a few minutes is sufficient. Many toxins, however, are not destroyed by heat treatment.

References[edit | edit source]

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