Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. I;-. FOR CONSUMERS UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture Volume9 Numb4l Spring 1992 FoodSafetyandInspectionService A FOOD SAFETY SURVIVAL 6UIDE 2 FOOD NEWS Looking Ahead to the Storm Season Spring1992 Vol.9,No.1 A FoodNewsforConsumersispublishedby Messagefrom FSIS's Acting USDA'sFoodSafetyandInspectionService, theagencychargedwithensuringthesafety, Director ofMicrobiology, wholesomenessandproperlabelingofthe nation'smeatandpoultrysupply.The Jerry Carosella. magazinereportshowFSISactstoprotect pruebgluilcatsoarfyeteyf,focrotvseirmipnogrrteasnetaricnhufnidnedrisntgasnadnidng nmanypartsofthecoun- howtheagencyworksandhowconsumers trybythetimeyou canprotectthemselvesagainstfoodbome receivethisissueofFood illness. NewsforConsumers,new AssistantSecretaryforMarketing budswillbeappearingonthe andInspectionServices treesandthefirstflowerswill JoAnnR.Smith bepushingtheirwayoutof FSISAdministrator theearth.Yetalongwith H.RussellCross springtimecancometurbu- AssociateAdministrator lentweatherpatternswiththe DonaldL.White changefromtheharshnessof Director,Information winter. andLegislativeAffairs Providingfoodsafetyinfor- DavidB.Schmidt mationtohelppeoplepre- Chief,PublicAwareness parefortornadoes,floods, WayneBaggett hurricanesandearthquakesis Editor thetopicofthismonth's MaryAnnParmley issue.Whilemostpeople (202)690-0351 thinknaturaldisasterswill NewsWiresEditor neverstrikethem,morethan LizLapping 800,000peoplewerevictims DesignDirector ofsuchcatastropheslastyear, Julie Olson hithewakeofthesedisasters, CoverIllustration peopleareconfrontedwith CameronGerlach numerousproblems,includ- ingthesafetyoftheirfoodsupply. ProductionCoordinator MaxineGrant Lossofelectricalpowerandrefrigerationaswellaschemicalandbacterialcon- taminationcanjeopardizefoodandputpeopleatriskforfoodborneillnessor aFoyoeadr.NeSwubssfcorripCtoinonsupmriecresisis$p5u.b0l0is(hdeodmefsotuirc)tiomres foodpoisoningasyoumaybeusedtocallingit.Thisissueisdesigned tohelppre- $6.25(foreign)peryear. ventsuchproblemsbygivingpeopletipsonhowtosafelystorefoodbeforeadis- Tcoovesru.bsScernibde,sufbilslcoruitptoirodneorrbdlearnsktoo:nback asteTroahnedlphyoowutkoeheapndyloeurfosopdrisnagfehloyliafdtaeyrsasadfies,aswtee'rvheitis.ncludedtipsforhandling SuperintendentofDocuments, traditionalholidayfoods,adviceonsomelittle-knownfoodhotlinesand guidance UW.aSs.hiGnogvteornn,mDenCt2P0r4i0n2t.ingOffice, onthestorageoffermented food. FSISspendsmillionsofdollarsinfood safetyresearchtofosterthedevelopment Sendcommentsandinquiriesto: ofprogramsandprocedurestocurtailthepresenceofpathogensinmeatand EFdSiItSor/,ILFAo,odRNoeowmsf1o1r65CoSnosuutmhe,rs, poultry. However,thepossibilityofcontaminationalwaysexists.Sothebestway U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture, toavoidunnecessaryillnessistomakeahabitofobservingthesafefoodhandling Washington,DC20250, guidelinespresented inthisissueeveryday. Telephone:(202)690-0351. Useofcommercialandtradenamesdoesnot SiUemSrpvDliycAea.oprptrhoevaFlooordcSoanfsettiytuatnedeInndsoprescetimoenntby sMpre.nJtertrwyenCatryosyeelalras,owfhhoissecamriecerrowbiitohloFgSIySd.eHgereiesinsofwroAmctPiunrgdDuiereUcntiovrerosfittyh,ehas MicrobiologyDivision. i FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS•SPRING 1992 3 CONTENTS It's True! GovernmentMaterials aren'tcopyrightedsoyou can use contents andart! Consumer Education NUTRITIONALLYSPEAKING, 4 USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline MARY. CALLTHEMEAT I Answers Nutrition Questions ANDPOULTRYHOTLINE Tohelpconsumersavoid TOOMUCHfatandcholesterol theHotlineis fieldingquestionson thenutritionalaspectsandlabelingofmeatand poultryproducts. — 10 The Story of Spring Food A History and Safe Handling Today From theeggasaspringsymbol, tohowtosafelyservebeefbrisketatyour PassoverSeder,here'sroerythingyoushouldknowaboutspringfoods. Special "Storm Season" Supplement 5 HandlingFood ThroughTornadoes, Hurricanes, Floods, Earthquakes and Fires This4-pagefeatureexplains whattoexpectineachcrisisandhowto protectyourselfandyourfamilyfromfoodandwaterhazards. Food Safety 12 HowWould You Know if the Blue Cheese or Pepperoni Were About to Turn on You? Safe Storage of Fermented Foods Asimplifiedexplanationoffermentationplushowlongspecialtycheeses, fermenteddairyproducts,sausages,sauerkraut,picklesandolivesshouldbe refrigerated. Chartgivesfreezertimes. — 14 The Food Hotlines Where Help Is Only a Free Phone Call Away A listingof7newnumbersforyourquestionsoneverythingfrom Kosherpoultrytogeneralnutrition. Neivs Wires 15 USDA'sMeatandPoultryHotlineinstalls24-hourautomaticansweringsystem. 15 Ozone,presentin theatmosphere, isbeinggeneratedtoclean chillerwaterin poultryplanttests. 15 USDA'sPoodSafetyandInspection Servicemakeseasy-readingfoodsafety publicationavailable. FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS•SPRING1992 4 USDA's Meat and TheHotlinestaffanswerbasicnutri- tionquestionsaboutmeatandpoultry Poultry Hotline productssuchasaresomemeatshigher infatandcholesterolthanothermeats? Is Handling ''Lighter Isgroundturkeylowerinfatthanlean groundbeef?Educatingconsumersto and "Leaner" readandunderstandthenutritioninfor- mationonthelabelsisoneofthegoals Questions oftheHotline. WhattheMeatandPoultryHotline expansionoftheHotlinehasimproved Can'tDo.TheMeatandPoultryHotline USDA'sabilitytopositivelyinfluence cannotprovideadviceaboutspecific BarbaraM. O'Brien, R.D. thehealthoftheAmericanpublicby diets.Ifaconsumerisonamedically providinginformationthatwillhelp prescribeddietorhasspecificdietary consumersmakeinformedchoices concernsthatrequirecounselling,the Openamagazineornewspa- aboutthefoodtheyeat.Informedindi- callerwillbeadvisedtocontactaphysi- perthesedaysandyouwill vidualswillbeabletochoosemeatand cian,registereddietitianorotherhealth probablyseeinformationon poultryproductswiselyandprepare careprofessionalsothatindividual someaspectofhumannutri- themsafelytoenjoythefullnutritional dietaryneedsmaybeadequately tion.Moreandmorepeoplearewant- benefitofthesefoods. assessed. ingtoknowwhattoeatforgoodhealth. TheMeatandPoultryHotline,spon- Formoreinformation,callUSDA's Nutritionistrulyahottopicforthe soredbytheFoodSafetyandInspection MeatandPoultryHotline,Washington, 1990s. Service(FSIS),ispartoftheUSDAteam D.C.,1-800-535-4555.Washington,D.C. Theconsumeroftodayhasmany whosegoalistogetthenutritionmes- areacallers,dial202-720-3333.Hotline questions.Ismeatreallyleanerthanit sagetothepublic.OtherUSDAagen- homeeconomistsanddietitiansanswer was10yearsago?Whatareleancutsof ciescloselyinvolvedwithnutrition, questionsonthesafehandlingandstor- meat?Isaproductlabeled"80%Lean" foodconsumptionandeducationare ageofmeatandpoultry.Theycanalso reallylowinfat?HowcanIreducethe theHumanNutritionInformation assistyouwithbasicnutritionquestions amountoffatinmydiet?Doesdark Service(HNIS),theFoodandNutrition onmeatandpoultryproductsandthe meatofpoultryhavemorefatthanthe Service(FNS)andtheExtensionService. nutritionlabelingontheseitems.The whitemeat? TheseUSDAagenciescoordinatetheir Hotlineisstaffed10a.m.to4p.m., "Sinceitbeganoperationin1985,the effortswiththoseoftheDepartmentof weekdays.EasternTime.Foodsafety MeatandPoultryHotlinehasprovided HealthandHumanServicestogetaccu- messagescanbeheardduringoff- foodsafetyandlabelinginformationto rate,uniformnutritioninformationout hours.Below,thenewHotlineadfor over410,000people,"saidSusan tothepublic. youruse."fr Conley,HotlineManager. "Overthe years,consumershavebecomemore awareofnutritionandtherolethatdiet playsinhealth.TheHotlinehasbeen USDA'S Meat and Poultry Hotline receivinganincreasingnumberofcalls aboutnutrition.Consumersarecon- now answers NUTRITION as well efuvseerdywahnedren.u"trihonmisinformationis as FOOD SAFETY questions. Toaddressthesetypesofquestions, thedietitiansandhomeeconomistson 1-800-535-4555 theMeatand PoultryHotlinearenow Washington, DC (202) 720-3333 answeringbasicnutritionquestions Monday-Friday, 10-4Eastern Time aboutmeatand poultryinadditionto providingfoodsafetyand labeling Homeeconomistsandregistereddietitianswillansweryour informationonmeatand poultryprod- nutntionquestionsaboutmeatandpoultryproductsand ucts. nutntionlabeling,aswellasquestionsaboutthesatehandling Byexpandingitsscope,theMeatand ofthesefoods. PoultryHotlinehasbecomeanotherof USDA'savenuesforgettingthenutri- ApublicserviceannouncementofthispublicationandtheU.S^DepartmentotAgriculture. tionmessageouttothepublic.This FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS•SPRING1992 THE STORM $EA$ON A FOOD SAFETY SURVIVAL GUIDE YOU can hardly tune in disasters in 1991. Our own Meat the evening news and Poultry Hotline handled anymore without nearly 2,000 food safety calls witnessing scenes of from disaster victims last year. disaster. Recently a helicopter Food News has decided to fight was lifting a workman off the back...with information, top of his truck in a California survival and preparedness tips. flood. Families were being Here's our best advice, drawn evacuated from the path of a from the experts, on how to hurricane in Florida. handle food and water The American Red Cross problems in the wake of reports that some 800,000 of us tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, were victims of natural earthquakes and fires. FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS•SPRING1992 6 Handling Food Through a Tornado by CiCi Williamson, C.H.E^ Power Out in Refrigerator/Freezer: Facinganominousblackfunnel Inemergencyconditions,thefollowingfoodsshouldkeepatroomtempera- cloudthatcantosshousesand ture(above40°F)afewdays.Still,discardanythingthatturnsmoldyorhas treesaroundliketoys,would anunusualodororlook. youbewonderinghowtokeep yourfoodsafe?WellevenDorothyand Butter,margarine Hardandprocessedcheeses Totohadtoeat. FDrreisehdffrruuiittssaannddvceogceotnaubtles FFrrueisthjhueicrebssandspices First,ofcourse,youandyourfamily Openedjarsofsaladdressing, Hourandnuts must"weather"thestorm.Here'sadvice peanutbutter,jelly,relish, Fruitpies fromtheNationalWeatherService. tacosauce, barbecuesauce, Bread,rolls,cakesandmuffins • Whenatornadowarningisissued, mustard,ketchupandolives personsinit'sexpectedpathshould takeshelterimmediatelyinasturdy Discardthefollowingfoodsifkeptover2hoursatabove40°F building,ditchorravine. Raworcookedmeat, Meat-toppedpizza,lunchmeats • Openingawindow,oncethoughtto poultryandseafood Casseroles,stewsorsoups minimizedamage,isnotrecom- Milk/cream,yogurt,softcheese Mayonnaiseandtartarsauce mended.Infact,openingthewrong CCuosotkaerdd,pcahsitfaf,opnaosrtachseaelsadespies CRerferaimg-efrLatUoerdapnasdtrcioeoskiedoughs windowcanactuallyincreasedamage. Fresheggs,eggsubstitutes. • Donotattempttofleefromatornado bycar.Mostdeathsoccurwhenpeo- Refreezethawedfoodsthatstillcontainicecrystalsorfeelcold. pletrytoescapeinmotorvehicles. • Afteratornado,stayoutofdamaged buildingsuntilyouaresurethey • Checkfoodsanddiscardanycontain- — won'tcollapse. ingparticlesofglassorsliversofother Tornadoes Where & How • Bealertforgaslineleaks. debris. Ifyousmellgas,donottrytocook. • Discardcannedfoodswithbroken • Manypeoplewhohaveseen"The Openallwindowsanddoors,turnoff WizardofOz"thinkofKansasas themaingasvalveatthemeterand the"tornado"state. leavethehouseimmediately. Ifthe Power's Out ButKansashasaveragedjust43 tornadoesannuallyforthelast30 Safe FoodAftera Tornado Asduringothertypesofdisasters,elec- years.Therealtornadostatesare tricitytotherefrigeratorandfreezermay Texas,averaging119,andOkla- Inanareathathassustainedtornado beoff. Usethe"PowerOut"chartto homa,adistantsecondwith53.Of damage,thewatersupplymaybedis- decidewhichfoodsare the50states,onlyAlaskahasnone. ruptedorcontaminated.Foodindam- safetouseorrefreeze • Atornadoisaviolentlyrotating agedbuildingsandhomesmaybehaz- Qg|^\'^k whenpoweris columnofairthatusuallydevelops ardous. restored. fromstrongthunderstorms.Winds • Drinkonlyapprovedorchlorinated mayreach300MPHinaviolent water. tornado. • Considerallwaterfromwells,cisterns andotherdeliverysystemsinthedis- asterareaunsafeuntiltested. ^CertifiedHomeEconomist FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS•SPRING1992 — 7 Handling Food Through and Hurricanes Fioods by CiCi Williamson, C.H.E. HurricaneHugoslammedinto emergencv^equipmentonhand.This theCarolinacoastin includesenoughcannedfoodtolast September1989with135 4to5days,ahandcanopener,battery- MPHwindsand20-foot poweredradio,extrabatteriesand tides.Itdid9billiondollarsindamage emergencycookingequipmentlikea anewrecord. camp sto\'ewithfueltooperateit. Butbecause216,000peopleweree\^ac- Don'tforgetflashlights,candles, beforeapossiblepowerfailure,thebet- uatedfromcoastalareasbeforeitstruck, matches,akerosenelamp,fireextin- teritwilllast. only21peopledied.Incontrast,6,000 guisherandafirstaidkit. Youmightwanttopurchasea50- peoplediedinthe1900Galvestonhurri- IftheNationalWeatherService poundblockofdr\'icewhichshould cane. announcesahurricane"watch,"expect keepfoodsafe(ifthere'snopower)ina Preparednesskeptmorepeoplefrom hurricaneconditionswithin24hours. fuU 18-cubicfootfreezer2days. beinghurtandisalsoakeytofood Fillthebathtubandlargecontainers Dryiceregisters-216°F,sowear safetyduringahurricaneandthefloods withwater.Eachpersonwillneedagal glovesorusetongswhenhandlingit. thatcanaccompanyit. Ionofwaterperdayfor3or4days. Wrapitinbrownpaperforlongerstor- Ifyouliveinahurricanearea,keepan Turnyourrefrigeratorandfreezerto ageandseparateitfromdirectfoodcon- adequatesupplyoffood,waterand thecoldestsetting.Thecolderfoodis tactwithapieceofcardboard. Filla partlyempt\'freezerwithcrumpled newspapertocutdownonaircurrents "Flooded" Foods whichcausethedryicetodissipate. Hoodingoftenaccompanieshurri- DISCARD: canes.Ifyouli\'einanareasubjectto •• MFreeasth,pporuoldturcye,fishandeggs «• SHpoicmees,csaeiamseordufnogosdasndextracts ffrloeoedzse,rsbbeyrepautdtyitnogrcaeismeenretfrbilgoecrkastournsdoerr • Preservessealedwithparaffin • Openedcontainersandpackages • Unopenedjarswithwaxed « Hour,sugar,grain,coffeeand theircomers. Ifyoukeepcannedgoods cardboardsealssuchas otherstaplesincanisters andotherfoodsinabasementorlow mayonnaiseandsaladdressing • Cansdented,leaking, cabinets,mo\'ethemhigher. • AHfoodsincardboardboxes, bulgingorrusted Hoodwatersmaycarrysilt,raw paper,foil,cellophaneordoth sewage,oilorchemicalwaste. Iffoods ha\ebeenincontactwith flood waters, SAVE: bleachperquartofroomtemperature usethischarttodeterminetheirsafetv.* Undamagedcannedgoodsandcommer- water.Airdrybeforeopening. cialglassjarsoffoodaresafeifyousani- Sanitizedishesandglasswarethesame tizethecontainers.Markcontentsoncan way.Todisinfectmetalpansandutensils, orjarlidwithindelibleink.Removelabels. boUtheminwater10minutes.Discard Papercanharbordangerousbacteria.Then woodenspoons,plasticuter\silsandbaby washjarsandcansinastrongdetergent bottlenipplesandpacifiers. solutionwithascrubbrush. Forinformationaboutgardensthathave Finally,immersecontainersfor15min- flooded,contactyourcountyextension utesinasolutionof2teaspoonsofchlorine homeeconomistorlocalhealthofficials. 'CertifiedHomeEconomist FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS•SPRING1992 Handling Food Through an Earthquake by Dianne Durant Theearthquakethatrocked Alsorecommended: CaliforniaSept. 18, 1989could • Smokedordriedmeatslike hardlybeignored. A7.1 onthe beefje—rky Richterscale,itmadenational • Juices canned,powderedor televisionasitwashappening.Millions crystal—lized ofviewerssawthebleachers"move" • Soups bouilloncubesordried duringtheWorldSeriestelecastfrom "soupsinacup" Oakland. • Milk—p—owderedorcanned Ifthefreezerisn'tfull,grouppack- Broadscalesurvivalproblemswere • Staples sugar,salt,pepper agestogethersotheyforman"igloo" equallyobvious. Poweroutagesput • Highenergyfoods—peanutbutter, protectingeachother. foodsuppliesatrisk. jelly,cracker—s,nuts,trailmix Groupmeatandpoultrytoonesideor AccordingtoCordeliaMorris,aU.S. • Stressfoods sugarcookies,hard onatraysotheirjuiceswon'tcontami- DepartmentofAgriculturepublic candy,sweetenedcereals nateotherfoodsiftheybegintothaw. affairsofficeronthescene, "People • Vitamins. Beespeciallycarefulwithperishable werepanickedbecausetheirrefrigera- OtherTips.Tosecureenoughwater foodslikemeatandpoultryorfood torsandfreezerswereout.They foryourfamily,store 1 gallonofwater containingmilk,cream,sourcreamor weren'tsurewhatwassafetoeat." perpersonperdayinplasticcontainers. softcheese. Tokeepfoodsafeandavoidfoodpoi- Whenputtingtogetheryouremer- Youcan'trelyonappearanceorodor soning,peopleneedtoknowwhat gencysupplies,trytostorefoodsyour totellyouifafoodwillmakeyousick. foodstostorebeforeanearthquakeand familynormallyeats,plussomefavorite Ifperishablefoodshavebeenatroom howtohandlefoodsafterwards. treats.Avoidstockingtoomanyfoods temperatureformorethan2hours,dis- Expertsadvisethoselivinginearth- thatarehighinsaltandincreasethirst. ease-causingbacteriamayhavemulti- quakeareastokeepathree-daysupply Storefoodsinsmallservingsizes. pliedenoughtocauseillness. ofemergencyfoodandwater. Withoutrefrigeration,"leftovers"can WhereToGoForHelp.Yourlocal AssemblinganEmergencyFood leadtofoodpoisoning. RedCrossoffersseveralpublications. Supply.Becausegasandelectricpower Don'tforgetcannedandnon-perish- "YourFamilyDisasterSuppliesKit" systemsmaybedamagedduringan ablepetfoods. offersguidelinesonassemblingfirst earthquake,it'simportanttohavefood Storeoneortwomanualcanopeners aid,toolsandclothing. onhand thatdoesn'tneedrefrigeration. withyouremergencyfoodsupply. "AreYouReadyforanEarthquake?" Cannedgoodsarebest,likeready-to- AfterDisasterHits.Afteraquake, isaone-pagefactsheetwithtipson eatcannedmeats,fruitsandvegetables. youknowyoucancountonyouremer- whattodobeforeand afteranearth- Foodsinglassbottlesandjarsmay gencyfoodsupply. Butdoesthatmean quake. > breakinadisaster. thatallthefoodintherefrigeratorand Canned foodscanbekeptalmost freezeris"spoiled?" indefinitelyaslongastheyaren'tleak- No,sayexpertsfromUSDA'sMeat ingorbulging.Foroptimumquality, andPoultryHotline. Food intherefrig- however,replacecannedgoodsevery eratorand freezerisjeopardizedwhen yeartoyear-and-a-half. thepowergoesout. Butlossofpower Cannedfoodscanbeheated indoors doesn'tnecessarilymeanlossoffood. withcandlewarmersorchafingdishes. Generally,foodintherefrigeratoris Outside,useacharcoalgrill,hibachior safeaslongasthepowerisoutnomore campstove. Removethepaperlabelfrom thana fewhours. Foodina full,free- thecansoitdoesn'tburn. standing freezerwillbesafeforabout2 days;ahalf-fullfreezerforabout1 day. FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS•SPRING 1992