Information for Consumers
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FAQ:
Safety of Foods and Food-Related Products
- Are green potatoes safe?
- How unsafe is raw milk? Can you make butter from raw milk?
- Is Amish bread starter safe?
- How are egg pasteurized in the shell? Are they safe?
- Is "Fit" produce wash safe to use?
- Is Mexican vanilla safe?
- Why is my cornmeal an off color? Could it be due to genetically modified corn?
- How can I safely enjoy colored Easter eggs?
- Are poinsettias poisonous?
- Is pet food safe for human consumption?
- How do I know if a product has expired?
QUESTION:
Are green potatoes safe?
ANSWER: Many plants contain small amounts of naturally occurring toxic chemicals. For example, two commonly eaten foods, the potato and the tomato, come from the nightshade family. The nightshade family is known to contain toxic compounds called alkaloids.
The alkaloid in the potato is solanine. In the United States, healthy potatoes contain 1 to 5 milligrams of solanine per small potato. Under current FDA regulations, 20 milligrams of solanine per 100 grams (a small potato) can render it unfit to eat.
Solanine is produced as the potato gets old or is exposed to light. So consumers should avoid potatoes that are old, sunburned (green under the skin) or spongy. Under these conditions, the solanine levels can increase sevenfold or more. Do not eat the potato eyes because they contain a high concentration of solanine.
Toxic amounts of solanine can seriously affect the nervous system and have caused death.
Source:
Angela Fraser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Food Safety Specialist, North
Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University.
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QUESTION: How unsafe is it to drink raw milk? Can you make butter out of pasteurized milk?
ANSWER: Raw (unpasteurized) milk has been documented as a causal agent for foodborne disease outbreaks due to the following pathogens: Oxiella burnetti\ (Q fever), Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Salmonella, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Campylobacter jejuni.
Pasteurization is a process to rid the milk of any disease-producing organisms it may contain and to reduce substantially the total bacterial count for improved keeping quality. Pasteurization time-temperature guidelines (143 degrees F for 30 minutes) were designed initially to destroy Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that can transmit tuberculosis to humans. In recent years, the pasteurization time-temperature has increased (145 degrees F for 30 minutes and 161 F 15 seconds used for high-temperature short-time pasteurization) to destroy Coxiella burnetti, the cause of Q fever. Milk should always be pasteurized before consumption. Butter prepared from unpasteurized milk can be equally unsafe. Butter that one buys at the grocery store is made from milk fat, usually in the form of cream. The cream is pasteurized at a somewhat higher temperature than that used for pasteurizing milk because the high fat content has a slight protective effect on bacteria.
Source:
Angela Fraser, Food Safety Specialist, North Carolina State University.
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QUESTION:
Is Amish bread starter safe? The starter recipe calls for flour, milk,
sugar and yeast. The instructions with the starter say to leave it at
room temperature for 10 days, stirring every day. The starter is fed with
more flour, milk and sugar.
ANSWER: The
process for making a bread starter is similar in theory to fermenting
cabbage to making sauerkraut. The starter mixture -- flour, milk, sugar
and yeast -- selects for naturally present lactic acid bacteria. Lactic
acid bacteria produce lactic and acetic acids, which reduce the pH of
the dough. The low pH prevents the growth of harmful and spoilage microorganisms.
The addition of yeast speeds the fermentation process. It also contributes
to the volume of the baked product because it produces carbon dioxide
during the fermentation. One continues to add flour, milk and sugar to
maintain the culture -- otherwise it will use up all the nutrients and
die off. Care must be taken to avoid off-flavors and odors resulting from
the incubation of undesirable microorganisms in uncontrolled cultures
-- therefore store in a clean container, use clean utensils to feed new
ingredients to the existing starter and keep it covered. Because E. coli
0157:H7 has been shown to survive (but not grow) in acidic foods make
sure that no cross-contamination occurs with the culture. (E. coli is
easily destroyed in a baked product, so it would probably not present
a great threat.)
Source:
Angela Fraser, North Carolina State University, Food Safety Specialist.
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QUESTION:
How are eggs pasteurized in the shell? Are they safe?
ANSWER: Pasteurizing procedure - The
eggs are heated in the shell in a water tank at about 136 degrees F. It
takes about 30 minutes for the center of the egg to get to 135 degrees
F, and then they are held at room temperature for 30 minutes. They are
then removed from the water bath and cooled in a refrigerator. This process
results in a 5-log reduction in Salmonella, that is, it reduces the bacterial
load from 100,000 to 1. Supposedly one cannot tell that the egg has been
heated. Cloudiness of the egg material can result due to the egg being
heated and is not an indication of poor quality.
Pasteurized
eggs can be used raw. The potential problem with these eggs is contamination
during handling. Therefore, when they are used, apply other safe food
handling principles
-- use clean surfaces, utensils, and hands to prevent the introduction
of other contaminants.
The eggs, though pasteurized, are not commercially sterile, so they must
be refrigerated. Any recipe made with these eggs can be potentially hazardous.
Therefore, do not consume egg-based foods that have been left out for
over two hours and refrigerate foods made with the eggs as soon as possible.
Source: Angela Fraser, Food Safety Specialist, North Carolina
State University.
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QUESTION: Is the "Fit" produce wash safe to use?
ANSWER: Two research reports that I am aware of have demonstrated that, under laboratory conditions, the product is more effective than plain water to reduce bacteria and wax (though wax is edible) on smooth-skinned fruits and vegetables such as apples and tomatoes. It is safe, but not necessary. It may provide an increased comfort level, but it is also rather costly, nearly $5.00 a bottle, and requires following the directions on the label. Thoroughly rinsing with water and using a vegetable brush, when possible, is an effective cleaning method.
Source:
Dr. Les Bourquin, Food Safety Specialist, MSU.
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QUESTION:
Is Mexican vanilla safe?
ANSWER: The answer has not changed since the 1980's, tourists heading for Mexico to swap their U.S. dollars for drastically devaluated Mexican pesos may find some bargains to offset the high costs of inflation in our own country. But one "bargain" that isn't is coumarin extract, passed off as genuine vanilla extract, or put into real or artificial vanilla flavoring to give it more zing.
Many tourists from the United States fall for this South of the Border offering because it looks like a bonanza. It isn't. Coumarin, or tonka bean extract, may be displayed on a store shelf or at a roadside stand for as little as $1.50 a quart. When you sniff it, the stuff smells like real vanilla. It isn't. What's more, it could be damaging to your health.
The U.S. tourist buying such a product has no way of knowing how much coumarin may be present. It follows that the person who takes a little gamble that the amount of coumarin in the bottle isn't enough to be toxic is playing with loaded dice.
Source: Mexican Coumarin No Bargain, FDA Consumer, October 1983, FDA 84-1105.
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QUESTION: Why is my cornmeal an off color?
Could it be due to genetically modified corn?
ANSWER: At present, there is no genetically modified white corn available on the market. Therefore, the color change in the white cornmeal would have nothing to do with genetic alterations. Perhaps the cornmeal was stored in a warm area and underwent some chemical changes or there is mold growing in it. You will usually be able to detect mold because it imparts a musty odor.
Source:
Angela Fraser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Food Safety Specialist,
North Carolina State University.
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QUESTION:
How can I safely enjoy colored Easter eggs?
ANSWER: After Easter, to safely enjoy dyed, hard-cooked eggs as deviled eggs or in sandwiches or salads or other treats, follow the tips below.
Because Easter eggs are handled so frequently, wash hands thoroughly before handling eggs at every step, including cooking, cooling and dyeing. Take advantage of the occasion to teach youngsters about cleanliness and safe food handling.
Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs in egg cartons if you will not be coloring them right after cooking. Refrigerate them again right after dyeing them.
Make sure the eggs you color are not cracked. If any crack during dyeing or while on display, discard them along with any eggs that have been out of refrigeration for more than two hours.
Use food coloring or specially made food-grade egg dyes dissolved in water that is warmer than the eggs.
If you use hard-cooked eggs as a centerpiece or other decoration or for hiding and they are kept out of refrigeration for many hours or several days, cook extra eggs for eating and discard the eggs that have been left out. Consider the discarded eggs a very inexpensive craft project or game.
Use the edible contents emptied from eggshells immediately in recipes that call for mixed yolks and whites and undergo thorough cooking, such as casseroles, custards, quiches, cakes or breads.
Teachers should not send colored eggs home with students because he/she cannot guarantee that the eggs will be put in a refrigerator within two hours.
Source:
Angela Fraser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Food Safety Specialist,
North Carolina State University.
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QUESTION:
Are poinsettias poisonous?
ANSWER:
Poinsettias are not toxic however, all ornamental
plants should not be eaten. There was a study conducted in 1971 (Toxicon,
1971, Vol.9, pgs 301-302, Euphorbia pulcherrima L. Toxicity to Rats) that
shows no ill effects of ingesting very large quantities of poinsettia
leaves and flowers. The Poison Control Center at Children's Hospital of
Michigan has published a brochure called "What about Plants?"
that clearly lists poinsettia as non-toxic.
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QUESTION: Is pet food safe for human consumption?
ANSWER: U.S. laws require that pet foods be processed, so that they are safe for human consumption. Part of the logic behind this is that, when people lose jobs, the sale of pet food increases. Obviously, unemployed individuals on limited incomes are not buying pets. Hence, it is safe for humans to consume pet foods.
Source: Kenneth N. Hall, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut.
QUESTION: How do I know if a product has expired?
ANSWER: Open dating is found primarily on perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. "Closed" or "coded" dating might appear on shelf-stable products such as cans and boxes of food.
Types of Dates
• A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
• A "Best if Used By (or Before)" date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
• A "Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.
• "Closed or coded dates" are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer.
For
more information, visit: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp
Source: Food Safety and Inspection Service, 2006.
