Table Of Content

Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. FOOD NEWS Looking Back... And Moving Forward Winter1993 Vol.9,No.4 FoodNewsforConsumersispublishedby A Messagefrom FSIS Director ofConsumer Education, USDA'sFoodSafetyandInspection Service,theagencychargedwithensuring Sharin Sachs thesafety,wholesomenessandproper As slaubpeplliyn.gTohfethmeangaatziionn'esrmeepoarttsanhdowpouFlStIrSy anewyearand a actstoprotectpublicsafety,covering newerabegin, researchfindingsandregulatoryefforts we'repleased to iamgpeonrctyawntoriknsunadnedrhstoawndcionngshumoewrsthcean bringyou our protectthemselvesagainstfoodborne Winter1993 "greatesthits" illness. issue. Incaseyoumissed them AssistantSecretaryforMarketing earlier, hereareupdated andInspectionServices versionsofthreepopular JoAnnR.Smith guides onmicrowaving, egg FSISAdministrator handlingand copingwith H.RussellCross everydaymolds. We'repro- AssociateAdministrator vidingyou theseclassicsinan DonaldL.White easy-to-reproduceformat. Feel Director,ExternalAffairs freetocopythesearticles. DavidB.Schmidt New inthis issueis aSpan- Director,ConsumerEducation ish-language, condensed SharinH.Sachs versionof "KeepYourFood Editor Safe," or "Mantenga Sanos los MaryAnnParmley Alimentos." Weworked fast (202)690-0351 to geta translated versionof NewsWiresEditor thisFood and DrugAdminis- HerbGantz tration (FDA)bookletthatisuseful and culturally sensitive. Wehopewe DesignDirector succeeded. JulieOlson Expectto see moreFoodNews attention to theneeds ofethnically diverse CoverIllustration and other specialized audiences infutureissues. (And, evenmore govern- CameronGerlach mentcooperation!) ProductionCoordinator Speakingofgovernmentcooperation, our spring issuewill focus on the MaxineGrant new nutrition labels, a tool fornutrition education. FoodNewsforConsumersispiiblisfiedfoiir Ourmission ishealtheducation—positivelyinfluencingconsumer timesayear.Subscriptionpriceis$5.00 behaviorto preventdiseaseandpromote health. That'swhatFoodNezus (domestic)or$6.25(foreign)peryear. and the tollfree Meatand Poultry Hotline are all about. Butwecan'tdo it Tosubscribe,filloutorderblankonback withoutyou. Remember thathit, "May theCirclebe Unbroken"? You can cover. I call itrock, oryoucancall itgospel,butpleasecall orwriteand letus | Sendcommentsandinquiriesto: know how we're meetingyourinformationneeds. And have a great Editor,FoodNewsforConsumers, ! FSIS/ILA,Room1165South, Spring! U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture, Washington,DC20250, i Telephone:(202)690-0351. Useofcommercialandtradenamesdoes notimplyapprovalorconstituteendorse- mentbyUSDAortheFoodSafetyand Sharin Henricks Sachs has served twelveyears in FSISpublic affairs and InspectionService. education, has written speeches for four FSISadministrators andbelieves in dedication leavened with humor. 2•FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS• WINTER1993 CONTENTS It's True!GovernmentMaterials aren't copyrightedsoyoucan use contents andart! Consumer Education Special Re-issue of3 ConsumerHandbooks 4 A Microwave Handbook Fromdefrostingthrough zvarm-upand useofoven-safecooking utensils,astep-b\j- stepguidethrough themostcommonpitfalls in microzvaving. 6 The Egg Handling Handbook This updateofourpopularegg-safetyguidecovers newproblems withSalmonella enteritidisandwhyAmericanswith weakenedimmunesystems mustbeextra carefulwithegghandling. 8 Mold - A Consumer Handbook This newfactsheet reflects thelatestfindingson howmoldtoxinsaffectfoodand whywemustnowcutanymoldoutofpotatoes. Afusarium moldcommon on potatoeshasexperts tellingus tobemorecareful. Food Safety 4 10 A lift-out Spanish version of "Keep Your Food Safe" or "Mantenga Sanos los Alimentos" To meetpopulardemand,we'vehadourearliershortversion ofFDA'sfine easy-readingpamphlettranslatedforHispanicreaders. News Wires 14 Clinton namesRep. MikeEspySecretaryofAgriculture. 14 Low-levelirradiation ofpoultry tokillsomebacteriahas beenapproved, butyou maynotsee "zapped"chickenfora while. 15 USDA'sAgriculturalResearch Serviceis usinghigh-tech imaging(MRI) tobreed leanerchickens. Enforcement Actions 15 FSIScourtactions toprotect meatandpoultryproducts. FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS• WINTER1993•3 From USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline A Mkromve Hmdhooh Susan Conley, CiCi Williamson, Marilyn Johnston. How /he to Microwave Safely popularityofmicro- wave co—ol<ing continues to grow almostevery Defrosting Commercialovencookingbagscan American householdpos- alsohelpevenoutcookingand • When usingthemicrowavetodefrost provideatenderproduct. sesses at leastone oven. Yet, foods,plan tofinish thecookingimmedi- • Movethefoodinsidethedishseveral concerns about the safetyof ately. Someareasoflargerfooditems timesduringcooking. Stirsoupsor cooking meatandpoultry maybegintocookduringthedefrost stews. Ifyoudon'thaveaturntable, products in the microwave cycle,raisingthetemperaturetoa turntheentiredishduringcooking. ^' paoevnredsinspstl.ahsaEtvivceenwcrotahmpeescuuonsodekewdrairnethe • ppRtlhoeaaimswnotitivncwge.whfreoFoarodpeafsbrmaaocirmtenessnrtuioolartaetchweaedrnaattfprlsaoptyurasriboilarsenht.adot • TlDmiihokciersnocoiwatsascevsoseeop.rkeoTclwiehhasoelltlebhy,oaintsmtecupsafonfar'endttadpbnoedtuelsfnttosirrryirtfeiyodn.ootdfhse question. hightemperatures.Theycanmeltor thebirddonotallowevencooking. Plus, there are traits, unique warpfromthefood'sheat,possibly Microwavesmaynotthoroughly to microwave cooking, that causingchemicalstomigrateintothe cookthemoiststuffingdeepinside affecthow completely foodis food. thebirdeither. cooked. "Cold spots" can • Don'tdefrostorholdfoodatroom • Neverpartiallycookfood. Ifplarmingto temperatureforover2hours. Itiseasy combinemicrowavecookingwith occur because ofthe irregular toforgetallaboutafooditem conventionalroasting,broilingor way the microwaves enter the thawinginthemicrowaveoven.Seta grilling,transferthemicrowaved oven andare absorbed by the timertosoundanalertwhenthe foodstoconventionalheatimmedi- food. thawingtimeisup. ately. i Since we have traditionally Cooking • Usea temperatureprobeormeat I relied on thorough cooking to thermometertoverifythefoodhas f kill bacteria thatmaybe • Debonelargepiecesofmeat. Bonecan treeamcpheerdaatusarfeeitnemspeevreartaulrep.laCchees,ckthe I presentin food, consumers shieldthemeatarounditfrom avoidingfatandbone. Itshould I should take simple, yet effec- thoroughcooking. reach 160°Fforredmeat; 180°Ffor tive steps to ensure even • Arrangefooditems uniformlyina poultry. f cooking when using a micro- covereddish andaddalittleliquid. • Makeallowancesforoven zuattage wave. bUancdteerriathaencdoveenrs,urseteuanmifhoerlpmshkeialtling. pvaorwiaetrionasn.dBoepcearuasteinogveenfsficviaernycyi,n Eitherplasticwrapora glasscover makesurefoodisdone. Useameat workswell. Manyrecipessuggest thermometerandvisualsignsto i USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline ventinga smallarea,allowingsome checkdoneness.Juicesshouldrun currently receives some 11,400 steam toescape. Plasticwrap clear,and meatshouldnotbepink. [ i shouldn'ttouchthefood. ^ calls each month. The national • Observethestandingtimein therecipe. tollfree number is 800-535-4555. \ • Cooklargepiecesofmeatat50%power Itisnecessarytocompletethe Washington, D.C. area residents [ forlongerperiodsoftime. Thisallows cookingprocess. theheattoreachdeeperportions i call (202) 720-3333. withoutovercookingouterareas. I 1 4•FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS• WINTER1993 Warming Precooked Foods Waxedpaperissafe. Otherpaper tough nylonmaterial. Ovenbagsalso goodssuchastowels,platesand promoteevencooking,whichhelps • Coverprecookedfoods with microwave- napkinshavenotbeentested foruse meatreachsafe temperatures safeplastic, waxedpaperoraglasslid. incooking. Ifusingthese items, for throughout. Thiswillkeepmoistureinand optimalsafety,useonlyplainwhite Followpackagedirections when heating provideevencooking. papergoods. microzuavablefoods withspecialbrown- • Heatleftoversandprecookedfood toat Neverusebrozungrocerybagsand ingorcrispingdevices in thepackage. least 165°F. Food shouldbeveryhot newspapers. Thesecontainrecycled Nevertry toreusethesespecial tothetouchandsteamingbeforeitis materialsandmetalswhichcould browningdevices. Don'teat from a served. startafire. package thatbecomes "charred" in • Usecaution when warminghahyfood. Avoidlettingplasticwrap touchfoods cooking. Handlecarefully, they Stirtoddlerfoodsthoroughlyand duringmicrowaving. It'sfinetocover becomeveryhottothe touch. taste-testthemyourselfforchild-safe utensilswithplasticwrap,butunless Do not re-usetraysandcontainers temperatures. Shakemilkorformula thewrapisaheavy-dutytype,it providedwith microwaveconvenience inabottlebeforetastingasitcan couldmeltincontactwithhotfoods. products. Theyhavebeendesigned becomeextremelyhot. Ovencookingbagsaresafefor usein the forone-timeusewith thatspecific microwave. They food onlv. Vihat Utensils, Wraps and aremadefrom Cookware Should Be Used avery in the Microwave? Glassandglassceramiccookwareare safeformicrowavecooking. Butwhat aboutothermaterials? • Useonhjthosecontainersand products thathavebeen approvedformicrowave use. Theseitemsaredesigned to withstand thehightempera- turespossiblewhencooking foodsthathavea highfator sugarcontent. • Avoidtheuseofcoldstorage containers. Margarinetubs, whippedtoppingbowlsand cottagecheesecartons,for example,havenotbeen approved formicrowaving. Highheatcouldcause chemicalstotransferinto thefood. FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS• WINTER1993•5 f To be egg-safe: hyis egg safety a ho should be concern? extra-careful? ^^^"""^ Avoideatingraweggsor C 1 - yfoodsthatcontainthem.This Eggs can bepartofa healthydiet. People with healthproblems, the m^^^^ includes "health-food" However, theyareperishable, just veryyoung, the elderlyandpreg- milkshakeswithraweggs,Caesar like rawmeat, poultryand fish. To nant women (the risk is to the salad,Hollandaisesauce,andanyother be safe, theymustbeproperly unborn child) areparticularly foodslikehomemademayonnaise,ice refrigeratedandcooked. vulnerable toSalmonella enteritidis creamoreggnogmadefromrecipesin Also todaysome unbroken shell infections. Healthproblems could whichtheraweggingredientsarenot eggs maycontain bacteria that be a chronic illness oranycondi- cooked. can makeyou sick unless the tion which weakens the immune eggs are carefullyhandled. This system. ^^^^^ Atthestore-Choose Grade bWahiclteentaheisnSuamlbmeorneolfleagegntseraiftifdeicst.ed w (l^mm2mia.td}^uncracke^dgsghsel^l^s^.^Mcalkeean,sure is less than 1 in ten thousand, hat can you do at they'vebeenrefrigeratedinthestore. there have been scatteredout- home? Anybacteriapresentinaneggcan breaks in the lastfewyears. growquicklyatroomtemperature. Currentlythe government, the Properrefrigeration, cooking and egg industryand the scientific handling shouldsolve most "egg" communityare working togetherto problems. You can continue to ^^3^^^ Refrigeratingeggs-Take solve theproblem. yenojuoyfoellgogwstahensdeesgagf-erihcahndfloiondgs if (^^1^-^)^re8f8r^igsetrraatiogrh.tAhohmoemetoretfhreig- eratorshouldberunningat40° F. Store guidelines. theminthegrocerycartoninthe hat part ofthe egg coldestpartoftherefrigerator,notin carries the bacteria? thedoor. Don'twasheggs. You'll removeaprotectivecoatingappliedat Researchers say the salmonella thepackingplant. bactena are usuallyin theyolk or yellow. Buttheycan'trule outits presence in egg whites. So every- one IS advisedagainsteating raw orundercookedeggyolks, whites orproducts containing them. 6•FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS• WINTER1993 ii Proper refrigerofion, cooking and handling sinould solve most 'egg' probiems.99 Howlongwill eggskeep in Leftovers-Dividelarge Eastereggs-Cookingre- the refrigerator?Useraw amountsofegg-richfoods moves theeggshell'snatural shelleggswithin3to5 intosmallcontainers for protectivecoating,sohard- weeks. Hard-cookedeggswill keep1 quickcooling. cooked eggsaremoresusceptible to week. Useleftoveryolksandwhites bacteria thanfreshshell eggs. within4days. Refrigerate Eastereggsimmediately Eggscrackedonthewayhome? Cookingtimes aftercookingand dying. Don't leave Breakthemintoacleancontainer,cover • Friedeggs-2-3minuteson themoffrefrigerationover2hours tightlyand keeprefrigerated foruse eachside;4minutesin a during thehunteither. within2days. coveredpan. Aftereachofyour "bunnies" has • Scrambledeggs-shouldbecooked found theireggs,refrigerate theeggs untilfirmthroughout. again. Theyshould keepabouta Howlongwill eggskeep • Poachedeggs-Cook5minuteso\'er week. V frozen?About6months. You boilingwater. canfreezewhitesseparately. • Soft-cookedeggs-Cookintheshell7 Forwholeeggs,beatyolks and whites minutes. together. Forinformationon thesafepreparationand Ifeggsfreezeaccidentallyintheir handlingofegg-richdisheslikequiche,me- shells, keep them frozenuntilneeded. Safereggrecipes ringues, meringuepietoppings,etc., requestthe Defrostin therefrigerator. Discardany Updaterecipes forCaesar SUuSDmAm-eFrS1I9S9,2REmg.gH11a6n5d-lSiountgh,HaWnadsbh.o,okD.fCr.om withcrackedshells. salad,HoUandaisesauce, 20250,202-690-0351. homemademayonnaise,salad dressing Formoreinformationoneggsandthesafe and otheruncooked egg-based sauces handlingofotherphrishablefoods,call USDA's Handlingeggs-Washhands, byusingcommercial pasteurizedeggs MeatandPoultryHotline800-535-4555. utensils,equipmentand oreggsubstitutes. Washington, D.C.arearesidentscall202-720- workareaswithhot,soapy Eggmixturesaresafeiftheyreach 3333. TheHotlineisstaffed10to4weekdays. waterbeforeandaftercontactwith 160° F,soyoucanmakeeggnog, ice Eastern Time. eggsandegg-richfoods. creamandsoftcustardsfrom fresheggs Avoidkeepingeggsoutofthe ifyoustartwitha cooked base. Usea refrigeratorover2hours. Servecooked thermometerorheatgently until the eggsand egg-richfoods immediately mixturecoatsametal spoon. aftercooking,orrefrigerateatoncefor lateruse. Usewithin3-4days. Revised March 1993 FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS• WINTER1993• 7 — What To Do About Mold- CONSUMER HANDBOOK A by Mary Ann Parmley Mold'-ls It Just A Nuisance? Inmanycases,yes,particularlyin warm,humidweatherwhenfood moldsquickly.Worldwide,though, moldcausesgreateconomiclosses, destroyingcropsandshorteningfood storagetimesinthehome. Butcertainmoldscanbe dangerous Suggestion: Somemoldscauseallergicreactions Cleantheinsideof andrespiratoryproblems.Andafew therefrigeratorevery molds,intherightconditions,produce dangerous fewmonthswith 1 poisonoussubstancesthatcanmake molds,the 11* tbsp. ofbakingsoda yousick.Thesearecalledmycotoxins. mycotoxins dissolvedinaquartof Howcanyou tell ifamold is caroentoafitneendinand / j|'|yxV'v> wateranddryw.atSecrr.uRbivnisseibwlietmhoclldear dangerous? aroundthese ' ' (usuallyblack) onrubbercasingswith Youcan't.That'stheproblem.Some threads. Insomecases,the 3tbsp. ofbleachinaquartofwater. moldtoxinsarepowerfuleveninsmall toxinsmayhavespreadthroughoutthe Keepdishrags,dishcloths,sponges amounts.Sometoxinscansurvivefora food. andmopscleanandfresh. Amusty longtimeinfood. Somearen'teven smellmeansthey'respreadingmold destroyedbycooking. Howcan mold grow in the around. Discarditemsyoucan'tclean Soyoucan'talwayssafelyscrapeor refrigerator? orlaunder. cutthemoldofffood.Theseguidelines Whilemostmoldspreferwarmer willhelpyouinavoidingmoldgrowth temperatures,theycangrowinthe Don'tunknowinglybuymoldy andhandlingthemoldyfoodyou colderrange.Moldsalsotoleratesalt food encounteranyway. andsugarbetterthanmostotherfood Quickshoppingsometimesmeansyou How Mold Growr invaders. Soyoumayfindmoldin don'texaminefoodwellbeforeyoubuy refrigeratedjamsandjelly—(highsugar) it. Butit'simportanttocheckfood in Moldisa typeoffungus. Inmany asanldamoin.cured,saltymeats ham,bacon, egtlaabsslejsarfsoranmdolfdregsrhofwrtuiht.sCahnedcvkegth-e molds,thebodyconsistsof"root" stemareasonfreshproduce. Notifythe threadsthatinvadethefooditliveson, Minimize Mold Growth In storemanageraboutmoldonany astalkthatrisesabovethefoodand Your Refrigerator And foods. sporesthatformattheendsofthe Kitchen Freshmeatandpoultry areusually stalks.Thesporesgivethemold the csoploorresyosuprseeae.dWthheemnolaidrbforronme,ptlhaeceto Cmloeladnliness isvital in controlling cmtaourlredkf-eufylrlmeye.a,Eybxunctoetpctbuiero.endEs?xmaSemaoitmnseeastnahdleasmmmiosked placelikedandelionseed. — Oncea food showsheavymold Moldsporesfromaffected foodcan SanFranciscoandItaliantypes havea growth,youcanbetthatthe "root" build upinyourrefrigerator,shorten- characteristicthin,whitemoldcoating. threadshaveinvaded itdeeply. In ingthe lifeofotherfoods. Theyshouldn'tshowanyothermold. 8•FOODNEWSFORCONSUMERS• WINTER1993