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 Continuing incidents of
food poisoning demonstrate the uncertainty of some food sanitation practices
and the importance of antimicrobials in the maintenance of the safety of
our food supply. Deaths and illness due to food-borne organisms are preventable
with the appropriate precautions including hand washing with an efficacious
product and disinfection of surfaces that come in contact with contaminated
food.
The cause of food-borne
illness is widely recognized to be infection by pathogenic microorganisms.
Organisms typically responsible for food poisoning are spread by the fecal-oral
route. Contamination may occur via a person’s hands or from a surface
to non-contaminated food or prepared/cooked food which is then consumed.
Bacterial food poisoning
may be caused in two ways: either by the direct presence of bacteria in
consumed food or by toxins produced by bacteria that remains in the food.
Bacterial organisms responsible for direct infection include Salmonella
spp., shigella spp., Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes,
Vibrio spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica. The organisms that produce toxins
are: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium
perfringens and Vibrio cholera.
The food supply system
of the United States and disinfectants used to protect it are regulated
by a network of federal, state and local agencies. At the federal level
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates a variety of aspects, including
the use of direct and indirect food additives. The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) regulates meat and poultry processing plants including authorizations
for hand cleaners and sanitizing products. However, a product will only
be authorized by USDA if it is labeled for use in an inspected facility.
Food contact surface sanitizers are currently referenced in 21 Code of Federal
Regulation Section 178.1010. State and local health departments use this
Food Code as the basis for their rules for food preparation and food service
operations.
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