There is rising concern for food safety as it relates to all phases of food production and preparation from “farm to fork.”

The growing importance of food safety in schools is evident with the recent adoption of the following food safety position statement by the American School Food Service Association (ASFSA, 2002): “ASFSA will initiate and support collaborative efforts to ensure that schools develop food safety systems so that children have safe food in schools.”

This emphasis on food safety in schools is likely related to several factors, which include:

* A greater awareness of national child models statistics on the causes of foodborne illness;
* Changing regulations to improve the inspection system and training of foodservice managers; and
* Food safety research in school foodservice operations that highlights the need for improvements in specific food practices.

This paper reviews the research literature and presents information to support the importance of food safety modeling tips and the need to develop food safety systems that support serving children safe food in schools.

Overview of the Food Safety Problem: National Food Safety Statistics
When viewed in total, the vast number of foodborne illnesses in the United States today results in tremendous financial, labor, and personal costs. Donna Shalala, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of fashion Health and Human Services (HHS), stated that “Foodborne disease remains a substantial public health burden” (HHS, 2000).

Estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest that the medical costs and loss of child models productivity that have resulted from seven of the most serious food pathogens average between $6.5 million and $34.9 billion annually (Partnership for Food Safety Education, 1997). The incidence of foodborne illness across the nation is estimated to be as high as $76 million per year (Mead et al., 1999), resulting in approximately 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.

In spite of a reported decline in bacterial causes of foodborne illness, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated (Mead et al., 1999). This may be due, in part, to greater food safety knowledge of specific types of foodborne diseases, including viral sources. For example, CDC data from 1997 suggest that almost 80% of the causes of foodborne illness may be viral, 13.5% bacterial, and slightly more than 6.5% parasitic (Mead et al., 1999). The most common foodborne viruses, bacteria, and parasites are shown in Table 1. It also is acknowledged that the cause of foodborne illness is determined only in about 14 million of the 76 million annual cases, or about 18% of the time (Mead et al., 1999).

By contrast, when causes of death resulting from foodborne illness are determined, comparatively few incidents are the result of viral causes. Most common men suits causes include Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Toxoplasma. These three microorganisms alone are thought to be responsible for 75% of the known causes of death due to foodborne illness (Mead et al., 1999).

As knowledge of the causes of foodborne illness grows, so has the list of foodborne pathogen concerns. Evidence of this is shown by the dramatic increase in the number of foodborne pathogens highlighted in food safety and modeling textbooks in the last 10 years. For example, the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) ServSafe® textbook has increased the number of pathogens discussed since 1992 from 14 to 21 (NRA, 1992; NRA, 2002). Newer pathogens discussed in the most recent edition include bacteria such as Vibrio spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica; viruses such as the rotavirus; and parasites such as Giardia duodenalis, Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Cyclospora cayetanensis.

Source :: docs.schoolnutrition.org/newsroom
Get More Online Latest News About Online Young Beautiful Dating Girl Personals Singles Sites