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Hsci 616 Writing Assignment
Hsci 616 Writing Assignment
Hsci 616 Writing Assignment
Jerry Aneke
HSCI 616
Introduction:
Food sanitation involves the efforts that mankind has taken to make sure that food is safe
to eat through proper food preparation, preservation, and storage. Food sanitation has been a
major part of mankind for many years. Unfortunately, mankind is known to make mistakes.
Food-borne illnesses take place when there are errors in food sanitation, such as food
contamination, letting food expire or stay out too long, improper heating or storage of food.
Although we are much more aware of food-borne pathogens than we were 50 years ago, there
are still many occurrences of food-borne illnesses throughout society (Byrd-Bredbenner, et.al,
2007). Some factors that have caused a change or increase in food-borne diseases include
massive population growth geared towards an aging population, globalization of food markets,
advances in transportation allowing people to be more mobile and travel more, increased
consumption or raw, slightly cooked, or exotic foods, climate change, increased dependence on
meat products, mankind’s continuing expansion into natural habitats, and farmers’ shift to
producing cheaper food (Newell et. al., 2010). The more often people eat, the more they expose
themselves to food-borne illnesses (Byrd-Bredbenner, et.al, 2007). Americans eat at least four
times a day, usually at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack between one of those meals (Byrd-
Bredbenner, et.al, 2007). As more mothers become employed and have less time to cook at
home, households have become more reliant on processed foods and fast foods, which has
reduced the likelihood of children and young adults learning about safe food preparation and
storage at home (Byrd-Bredbenner, et.al, 2007). To make matters worse, life skills, home
economics, and nutrition classes have become exceedingly less common at schools and
universities, usually only being offered as electives rather than prerequisites or general education
classes (Byrd-Bredbenner, et.al, 2007). Both of these occurrences have led to a generation of
college students and young adults that are relatively illiterate when it comes to food safety,
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 3
making them one of the populations that are most at risk for being affected with food-borne
illnesses.
Food Safety:
storing food, heating food properly while cooking, and keeping food refrigerated. In order to
avoid cross-contamination while preparing food, cutting boards and utensils should be washed
with soap and hot water after coming in contact with raw food (USDA, 2011). It is also critical
that people wash their hands with soap and warm water before and after preparing food,
especially after handling raw meat, poultry, or eggs (USDA, 2011). When purchasing food, it is
important to store raw meat and poultry in bags and away from other foods (USDA, 2011).
The temperature range at which most bacteria thrive on food is 40-140 degrees
Fahrenheit and heated above 140 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA, 2011). When serving food, the
United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service recommends that
people “keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold” (USDA, 2011). It is important to follow the
directions of food safety labels on food products, especially those of raw meat and poultry
products, which usually contain information about the product passing inspection, safe storage
and preparation of the product, avoiding contamination with use of the product, and handling
leftovers of the product (Morrone & Rathbun, 2003). Darker meats such as beef, pork, and lamb
should be heated to 145 degrees Fahrenheit before serving, while ground beef should be heated
to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and poultry should be heated to 165 degrees (USDA, 2011). If food is
going to be unrefrigerated for a long time, it is important that hot, cooked foods remain heated in
a heat source at a temperature higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit and that cold foods remain
2011). If perishable foods remain unrefrigerated between 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit for more
than two hours, or one hour in an area that is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, they are no longer
It is important that leftovers of served food are refrigerated within 1-2 hours of being
served in order to avoid being spoiled (USDA, 2011). However, although it is important for food
to be refrigerated when not in use to avoid spoilage, even food that is refrigerated or frozen
indefinitely will eventually spoil. Leftovers should be used within 3-4 days, while frozen foods
and leftovers should be used within 1-2 months because even when refrigerated or frozen,
bacteria continue to grow, just at a much slower rate than at room temperature (USDA, 2011).
There was a survey performed by Unklesbay, Sneed, and Toma, members of the
University, and CSU Long Beach, concerning college students’ attitudes towards, behavior, and
knowledge about food safety (Unkelsbay, Sneed, and Toma, 1998). This survey used a sample
size of 824 students pooled from University of Missouri, Columbia, Kent State University, and
CSU Long Beach of varying majors and class levels (Unkelsbay, Sneed, and Toma, 1998).
According to this survey, most of these students agreed that food safety is important to them and
that they need to take responsibility for their own food safety, but that food providers and the
government should make sure that food is safe to eat in the first place, and that schools and
health agencies should do more to promote food safety (Unkelsbay, Sneed, and Toma, 1998).
The survey also looked at common food safety behaviors and most students agreed that they
usually discard expired food, serve food soon after it has finished cooking, place leftovers in the
refrigerator soon after a meal has finished, properly heat leftovers before serving them, and
follow food label instructions concerning the storage and preparation of frozen or packaged food,
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 5
but that they don’t usually wash raw fruits and vegetables before eating them, observe the
temperature of their refrigerator or freezer, choose restaurants known for cleanliness (Unkelsbay,
Sneed, and Toma, 1998). The survey then tested the students about their knowledge of food
safety. Although the students agreed that E. coli could be fatal and that children and the elderly
are more susceptible to food-borne illnesses than teenagers, they also agreed that consuming raw
seafood rarely causes any illnesses, washing raw vegetables only in water will remove all
pesticide residue, it is safe to leave cooked meat or poultry at room temperature, and that keeping
Based on the results of the survey, although college students have positive views about
food safety and some engage in proper food safety behavior, their knowledge about food safety
is lacking. However, the survey also revealed that college students in nutrition, food science, and
health programs had better views about food safety, engaged in more proper food safety, and had
more knowledge about food safety than students in other programs (Unkelsbay, Sneed, and
Toma, 1998). Because interventions through food safety education can increase food safety
knowledge and behaviors, it is important that college students take advantage of the food safety
courses and seminars available to them while they are still in school, so they could make more
informed choices about their food safety and minimize their risks of acquiring food-borne
Who is Affected?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, college students are at risk for
being affected with food-borne illnesses because they are stressed, looking for fast, cheap ways
to acquire food, and aren’t always informed about food safety (USDA, 2011). College students
are under a lot of pressure to succeed academically while living a balanced life. This usually
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 6
leads to students seeking out cheap or free food, which often ends up being junk food that is left
out too long at potlucks, meetings, and parties. Also because college students and young people
are constantly mobile, needing to commute to classes, work, and meetings, they often neglect
proper food storage (Byrd-Bredbenner, et.al, 2007). Sometimes, they might buy some fast food
or bring homemade food with them on their daily commutes, but leave the food unrefrigerated
for hours in the car, at work, or at their apartment or dorm because they get preoccupied with all
of the different tasks that they need to do (Byrd-Bredbenner, et.al, 2007). Because most college
students have to pay large amounts of money in tuition and rent, have the looming prospects of
debt from loans, only have a low-paying job or internship to get them by, and a lot of academic,
social, work, or family responsibilities, they will mainly pick their foods out of convenience
(Booth, Hernandez, Baker, Grajales & Pribis, 2013). This busy lifestyle can cause most college
students to neglect food safety in favor of having more time to handle their different
Although college students are at risk for being affected with food-borne illnesses because
of their lack of knowledge about food safety, the populations that are most at risk for showing
severe symptoms to food-borne illnesses are those who have weakened immune systems due to
HIV/AIDS or chemotherapy, pregnant women, infants, children, the elderly, homeless people,
incarcerated people or those in other institutionalized care, and people of low socioeconomic
status (Byrd-Bredbenner, et.al, 2007). Although college students and young adults are more
likely to be affected with food based illnesses than these other vulnerable populations because
they usually engage in more risky food handling, their reactions to food-illnesses are much less
severe than those of these vulnerable populations, such as people with weakened immune
systems, pregnant women, infants, children, the elderly, the homeless, and people of low
Therefore, it is important for college students and young adults to be more informed about food
safety and proper food handling techniques because they will eventually care for or become these
vulnerable populations (Byrd-Bredbenner, Maurer, Wheatley, Cottone, & Clancy, 2006). Most
young adult women will become pregnant and most young adults will care for their infants and
children. Most young adults will eventually need to care for their aging parents and will
eventually reach old age themselves. Some young adults will even pursue careers in which they
serve infants, children, the homeless, the elderly, people with low socioeconomic status, or
people with weakened immune systems, so it is important that all young adults learn more about
There are more than 200 pathogenic microbes that could cause food-borne illnesses
(Hillers, Medeiros, Kendall, Chen, & Dimascola). According to the CDC, the most common
pathogens that caused food-borne illnesses and outbreaks in 2015 were salmonella, norovirus,
615
600
400 263 225 217
200 4 9 62 8 2 6 5 8 38 2071 1025
0 Number of Outbreaks
Number of Associated Illnesses
Pathogen
(CDC, 2017). Most food-borne illnesses have minor symptoms, such as diarrhea, that last for a
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 8
few days at most. For instance, the symptoms caused from common food-borne illnesses and
include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, and upset stomach (Fein, Lin and Levy, 1995).
The main treatments for food-borne illnesses are antimicrobials (Newell et. al., 2010).
Antimicrobials are medical drugs that are used to kill pathogenic microbes. Antibiotics are used
to kill bacteria, antivirals are used to kill viruses, and antifungals are used to kill fungi.
Antimicrobials are helpful in treating the symptoms of food-borne illnesses; however, problems
only be used as directed (Newell et. al., 2010). Most symptoms from food-borne illnesses aren’t
severe, but if symptoms last more than a few days or are very severe, one should contact their
The best ways to prevent food-borne illnesses are to follow proper food safety practices,
handle food properly, and have good hygiene. While serving food, if people keep hot foods
above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cold foods below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, food-borne illnesses
would be less likely to occur (USDA, 2011). Washing one’s hands before and after handling
food is a great way to prevent the transfer of pathogens from raw meats to other foods. Washing
one’s hands regularly, especially before and after eating or handling food is a great way to
prevent diseases in general. Consuming refrigerated leftovers within 4 days, frozen leftovers
within 1-2 months, and packaged food before the expiration date minimizes the risks of
Summary:
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 9
Food sanitation is mankind’s efforts to keep food safe to consume through proper
treatment, handling, preservation, and storage. Food-borne illnesses occur when errors in food
sanitation take place. Food safety is the combined efforts of government agencies, health
advocacy groups, and educational institutions to promote the proper handling, preservation, and
storage of food in order to minimize the risks of food-borne illnesses. Common food safety
practices include proper hand washing before and after handling food, keeping raw meat and egg
products away from other foods, cleaning utensils after handling raw food products, following
the food safety label instructions on foods, making sure that foods are completely cooked before
serving them, keeping hot foods properly heated and cold foods properly cooled while being
served, and refrigerating leftovers within 1-2 hours of being left at room temperature. However,
the rates of food-borne illnesses have been on the rise due to increased globalization, advances in
transportation, food education courses becoming less common, an increasing reliance on cheap,
convenient fast food, and people’s increasingly hectic lifestyles, which have led to less people
cooking at home, meaning that less people are learning about food safety at home. College
students are a population that is very susceptible to food-borne illnesses because they are more
likely to engage in more risky food handling and consumption behaviors in order to have more
time to handle their numerous responsibilities such as academics, work, family, and social
obligations. Common pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses include E. coli, salmonella,
campylobacter, and norovirus. The most common symptoms of food-borne illnesses include
diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and upset stomach. These symptoms aren’t serious, but if they last
more than a few days or become more serious, one should contact their doctor and take
antimicrobials as directed. The populations that exhibit the more severe symptoms of food-borne
illnesses are those with developing or weakened immune systems, such as infants, children,
pregnant women, the elderly, people with HIV/AIDS or who are undergoing chemotherapy, the
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 10
homeless, and people with low socioeconomic status. Therefore, it is critical that college students
become more informed about food safety, not only to keep themselves safe from food-borne
illnesses, but also because one day, they will nurture, serve, or even become these vulnerable
populations of people.
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 11
References:
Booth, R., Hernandez, M., Baker, E. L., Grajales, T., & Pribis, P. (2013). Food Safety Attitudes
Nutrients, 5: 328-339.
Byrd-Bredbenner, C., et al. (2007). Food Safety Self Reported Behaviors and Cognitions of
Young Adults: Results of a National Study. Journal of Food Protection, 70(8): 1917-
1926.
Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Maurer, J., Wheatley, V., Cottone, E., & Clancy, M. (2007). Food Safety
Hazards Lurk in the Kitchens of Young Adults. Journal of Food Protection, 70(4): 991-
996.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). 2015 Top 5 Food-Germ Pairs. Retrieved
from https://www.cdc.gov/fdoss/annual-reports/top-5-food-germ-2015.html
Fein, S. B., Lin, C. T. J., & Levy, A. S. (1995). Foodborne Illness: Perceptions, Experience, and
Preventive Behaviors in the United States. Journal of Food Protection, 58(12): 1405-
1411.
Hillers, V. N., Medeiros, L., Kendall, P., Chen, G., & Dimascola, S. (2003). Consumer
Morrone, M., & Rathbun, A. (2003). Health Education and Food Safety Behavior in the
Newell, D. G., et al. (2010). Food-borne diseases — the challenges of 20 years ago still persist
while new ones continue to emerge. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 139:
S3–S15.
United States Department of Agriculture. (2011). Food Safety Tips for College Students.
Food Safety, Food-borne Illness, College Students, and Young People 12
education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/food-safety-tips-for-
college-students/
Unklesbay, N., Sneed, J., & Toma, R. (1998). College Students’ Attitudes, Practices, and