Shigella Food Safety Facts
Preventing foodborne illness
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What is foodborne illness?
Food contaminated by bacteria, viruses and parasites can make you sick. Many
people have had foodborne illness and not even known it. Its sometimes
called food poisoning, and it can feel like the flu. Symptoms may include the
following:
- stomach cramps
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- fever
Symptoms can start soon after eating contaminated food, but they can hit up
to a month or more later. For some people, especially young children, the
elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, foodborne
illness can be very dangerous.
Public health experts estimate that there are 11 to 13 million cases of
foodborne illness in Canada every year. Most cases of foodborne illness can be
prevented by using safe food handling practices and using a food thermometer to
check that your food is cooked to a safe internal temperature!
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What are Shigella and shigellosis?
Shigella bacteria are found naturally in the intestinal tracts of
humans and other primates. People who eat food or drink water contaminated by
Shigella can become ill with shigellosis.
What are the symptoms of shigellosis infection?
Like other foodborne illnesses, the symptoms of shigellosis can feel like
the flu. Symptoms can appear within 12 to 50 hours after eating contaminated
food, but usually dont appear until three to seven days later. People who
have shigellosis are usually ill for three to 14 days. Others infected with the
bacteria may not get sick or show symptoms, but they can carry the bacteria and
spread the infection to others.
How do the bacteria spread?
Shigellosis is most often spread from person-to-person. Shigella
can also be transferred by flies. People infected with the bacteria can be
carriers. Therefore, proper hygiene, safe food handling and preparation
practices are key to preventing foodborne illness. If you think you are
infected with Shigella or any other gastrointestinal illness, do not
prepare food for other people unless you wear disposable gloves and follow safe
food handling procedures. About 20 per cent of shigellosis infections come
directly from contaminated food and water.
Where has Shigella been found?
Food is most commonly contaminated with Shigella from water
polluted by human sewage. Food can also become contaminated if it is handled by
a person infected with Shigella or by cross-contamination because of
unsanitary food handling practices. The following listed below have been
responsible for foodborne illnesses:
- salads (pasta, potato, shrimp, tuna, chicken, turkey, macaroni, fruit,
lettuce)
- chopped turkey
- rice balls
- beans
- pudding
- produce such as strawberries, spinach, fresh daikon (a type of radish)
- raw oysters
- deli meats
- unpasteurized milk
Will cooking destroy the bacteria?
Like many other harmful bacteria that could be in our food,
Shigella are destroyed when food is cooked to a safe internal
temperature. Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of your
food. See table.
Defeating Shigella Bacteria: A 4-Point Plan
- Get off to a CLEAN start!
- Handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of foodborne
illness. Do you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm
water before and after handling food? Wash again when you switch from one food
to another.
- Are your countertops and utensils clean and sanitized? Sanitizing reduces
bacteria and can prevent foodborne illness.
-
BLEACH SANITIZER
- Combine 5 mL (1 tsp) of bleach with 750 mL (3
cups) of water in a labelled spray bottle.
- After cleaning, spray sanitizer on the surface/utensil and let stand
briefly.
- Rinse with lots of clean water, and air dry (or use clean towels).
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Foodsafe tip: Use only clean water to water
vegetable/fruit/herb gardens. Shigella bacteria can live in
contaminated water and might contaminate the food you eat. |
- CHILL your food and stop bacteria cold!
- Bacteria can grow in the danger zone between 4 °C and 60 °C (40°F to 140°F).
Keep cold food cold at or below 4 °C
(40°F).
- Refrigeration at or below 4°C (40 F)
slows down most bacterial growth. Freezing at or below -18°C (0°F) can stop it
completely. (But remember: refrigeration and freezing wont kill bacteria.
Only proper cooking will do that!)
-
Foodsafe tip: Use appliance thermometers to check that
your refrigerator and freezer are cold enough. |
- SEPARATE! Dont cross-contaminate!
- Keep raw foods away from other foods while shopping, storing and preparing
foods.
-
Foodsafe tip: When shopping, place raw meat in a plastic
bag, then place it in your shopping cart away from other foods. |
- COOK safely!
- Have you cooked your food to a safe internal temperature? Use a digital
food thermometer to check the temperature of your food. See
table.
- Bacteria can grow quickly in the danger zone between 4 °C and 60°C (40 °F to 140 °F), so
keep hot food at or above 60°C (140
°F).
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Foodsafe tip: The only way to be sure that your food is
cooked properly is to use a food thermometer to check. |
SAFE COOKING TEMPERATURE CHART
You cant tell by looking - - use a food thermometer to be sure! |
Food |
Temperature |
beef/veal steaks and roasts
medium-rare
medium
well done |
63°C (145°F)
71°C (160°F)
77°C (170°F) |
ground beef/pork/veal
food made with ground beef/pork/veal, e.g.
sausages, meatballs
pork chops, ribs, roasts |
71°C (160°F) |
ground chicken/turkey
food made with ground chicken/turkey, e.g.
sausages, meatballs
chicken/turkey breasts, legs, thighs and wings
stuffing, casseroles, hot dogs, leftovers, egg dishes |
74°C (165°F) |
chicken/turkey, whole, unstuffed |
85°C (185°F) |
Safeguarding Canada's Food Supply
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the Government of
Canadas science-based regulator for animal health, plant protection and,
in partnership with Health Canada, food safety.
For more information on food
safety or to order free copies of this brochure, visit the CFIA website at
www.inspection.gc.ca or call 1 800 442-2342/TTY 1 800 465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time, Monday to Friday). You can also find food safety
information on the Health
Canada and
Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education websites
respectively at www.hc-sc.gc.ca and www.canfightbac.org.
Cat. no.:
A104-16/2005E
ISBN: ISBN:
0-662-41100-5
P0238E-05/07
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