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As a result of systematic improvements by the Division and restaurants statewide, the number of reported foodborne illness outbreaks in Florida’s restaurants has decreased by 90 percent since 1997. This is a phenomenal number when you consider that there are currently more than 47,000 public food service establishments in Florida, running the gamut from hot dog vendors to high-end restaurants and all points in between. These restaurants feed not only the year-round residents but also the 80 million plus tourists who visit Florida each year.

So, what are the reasons for this remarkable reduction in foodborne outbreaks? Starting in 1997, Florida mandated Food Service Employee Training. This was not job-specific training, but rather a requirement that all employees who handle food receive training in good personal hygiene and foodborne disease prevention.

In addition to the employee training, the 1997 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code was adopted in mid 1998. With this version of the Food Code, emphasis began on the need to eliminate bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food as much as possible and to install extra precautions when it did occur.

In 2000, the Division adopted the 1999 Food Code and followed that with the adoption of the 2001 Food Code in 2005. This year, the 2009 Food Code will become the new standard for the Division. Each subsequent Food Code has added important new science-based safeguards and expanded the duties and responsibilities of management – all improvements that help control the incidence of foodborne illness.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) is responsible for testing seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico to ensure it is safe to eat. Laboratory testing shows that Florida seafood products are plentiful, safe and have not been affected by the oil spill.

Between August 2010 and June 18, 2012, the Department’s Division of Food Safety has screened 1854 seafood samples, including 1010 finfish, 171 shrimp, 312 oysters, 164 crabs, 167 clams and 30 lobsters for possible oil contamination from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Except for finfish (at least 1.0 lb fillet), samples represent a composite of multiple organisms (10 crabs, 15 oysters, 0.5 lbs shrimp). All findings are well below the FDA’s levels of concern. See Table 1.

With $10 million in additional funding, the DACS Division of Food Safety has enhanced its laboratory capabilities to conduct seafood inspections in an effort to further restore public confidence in the safety of Gulf of Mexico seafood. In addition to PAH analyses, samples have been screened for the dispersant dioctylsulfosuccinate (DOSS) since March, 2011. All findings for dispersant are also well below the FDA’s levels of concern.

What is behind this expanding need for caution? Three primary reasons have emerged: 1) to deliver year-round fresh produce and in many cases, out-of-season varieties; a global marketplace and supply chain now prevails. More fresh fruits and vegetables are being imported from around the world, frequently from areas with food safety standards substantially weaker than those in the US. 2) Additionally, according to a recent LA Times article, consumer demand for fresh produce has dramatically increased, with produce featured at more meals and in greater quantities than ever before. “The industry’s very success could be one of the reasons behind recent outbreaks. People are eating more fresh produce, including the bagged variety, than ever before.” 3) Lastly, centralized processing of fresh and fresh-cut produce may be another important reason behind widespread foodborne illness outbreaks – when something goes wrong at a high volume processor, it can affect exponentially more people than ever before.

Recently, the American fresh produce industry has experienced widely publicized foodborne illness outbreaks associated with American-grown produce. During the early fall in 2011, 146 people were sickened and 30 deaths were attributed to a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that was associated with cantaloupe grown in Colorado. In September 2006, 3 people died (and other deaths are being investigated) and hundreds were sickened from E. coli 0157:H7 tainted spinach traced to a California grower. Late in 2006, another E coli outbreak occurred, sickening 71 customers and temporarily closing 90 restaurants. Lettuce grown in California was implicated in this outbreak; the contamination occurring most likely during the growing process.

Many foods provide an excellent environment for the growth or transmission of foodborne illness. Most of these foods, with correct time and temperature control, correct handling, cooking, cooling and reheating methods, can be safely served to patrons. Still, there are those foods that don’t stand up to food safety even after correct handling, cooking and service. These are high-risk foods.

In an earlier edition of Florida Restaurant and Lodging Magazine, you read about raw milk and raw milk products as a high-risk food. This article will focus on other high-risk foods: sprouts, raw protein, ie: sushi, steak tartare, raw eggs and foods in reduced-oxygen packaging.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes Five Risk Factors to Food:
1. Food from unsafe sources
2. Inadequate cooking
3. Improper holding temperatures
4. Contaminated equipment
5. Poor personal hygiene

Managers that want to reduce the risk posed to customers are certain to make every effort to steer clear of these risk factors and comply with recommendations to eliminate unsafe risk factors.

Unfortunately, in many cases, high-risk foods are of their nature from unsafe sources and serving high-risk foods exposes your operation to one of the risk factors scientifically identified by the FDA.

Over the last several years, raw sprouts have been associated with foodborne illness outbreaks of several of the major pathogens: Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria monocytogenes. Europe’s massive outbreak in 2011 was due to contamination from within Egyptian fenugreek seeds and sprouts from those seeds. There were at least 4075 outbreak related cases and 50 deaths.* (*Source: http://outbreakdatabase.com/details/international-outbreak-fenugreek-sprouts-2011/?vehicle=sprouts)

By Susie McKinley

In recent years, the beautiful lionfish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, has been identified as an invasive species in and around Florida’s coastal waterways, the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Originally brought to the United States as an aquarium species, lionfish were likely released into the wild and are now populating waters surrounding Florida at an alarming rate because the fish has no known predators in the region. Lionfish are poisonous to both fish and man.

In an effort to reduce the lionfish’s impact on the environment, several activities have been encouraged and / or undertaken to assist in reducing the population -- one of which is to eat the invasive species. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has even developed an eat lionfish campaign “If we can’t beat them, let’s eat them!”

However, lionfish have recently been associated with Ciguatera, a seafood toxin that has dramatic symptoms for humans who’ve consumed fish contaminated with the toxin, including a reversal of hot and cold sensations. Early symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc. and other symptoms can include tingling of the extremities and mouth. Ciguatera is typically associated with grouper, snapper and other large reef fish.

NOAA is now recommending to lionfish harvesters to avoid eating lionfish found in waters associated with Ciguatera fish poisoning. According to the World Health Organization (WHO),”Outbreaks of ciguatera are limited in distribution and time and are usually localized.” If your establishment chooses to serve lionfish, be certain that it was not harvested from waters associated with Ciguatera. Local fishermen may be the best source to determine waters that are free from the toxin.

Operators should be aware that serving any misrepresented, mislabeled or misbranded food is illegal. Since 2006, there have been 1,435 cases of food misrepresentation in restaurants prosecuted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants. The majority of these cases relate to seafood fraud. Operators knowingly serving misrepresented food can be found guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor. Fines may also be charged and restaurant licenses can be suspended or revoked.

Unfortunately, seafood “fraud” is an ongoing problem for seafood lovers. A recent study conducted by Oceana, an international ocean conservation group, found that “…31% of seafood tested in South Florida is mislabeled.” The study also notes that seafood fraud in South Florida is lower than many other U.S. locations. According to Oceana, “…but just because the numbers are lower in South Florida doesn’t mean that seafood fraud is any more acceptable. Some of the fish being served under a different name pose risks to health and sustainability. The study found that king mackerel, a high mercury fish with a health warning for sensitive groups, was being marketed as ‘grouper.’ The large amount of seafood coming into the U.S. market can make it difficult to trace each item to its source.” As an answer to seafood misbranding the group is asking the federal government implement a “traceability system” to assist U.S. consumers in knowing what they are eating.

Seafood fraud is essentially serving one type of seafood and declaring on the menu or the daily specials board that it is another type of seafood. There are many scenarios in which this violation plays out: imitation crab is served and is declared as real crab, one type of fish is served and another is declared on the menu, and the like. In many cases, the misrepresented fish is a species of lesser value that is imported from another country that may or may not have food safety standards equal to those of the United States.

Have you ever just sat down and read the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code for fun? OK….maybe you were busy doing other things, like running a business.

If that business happens to be a restaurant in Florida, you may want to make reading the FDA Food Code part of your summer reading.

Like most books, the Food Code is divided into chapters. The first chapter is made up of definitions so you can understand all the terms used throughout the code. Chapter 2 jumps right into “Management and Personnel.” Long before any minimum requirements about foods, sources, temperatures, parts per million (ppm), inches off the floor, vermin control, chemicals, plumbing or sanitizing are explained, the Food Code talks about the responsibilities of management – the person in charge, the boss, the “buck stops here” person. The reason for this is simple – the management and employees are the first line of defense against factors that could ultimately cause a foodborne illness outbreak.

In the 1993 FDA Food Code, the chapter for management was 14 pages long. In the 2009 Food Code, this same chapter has expanded to 23 pages. You can expect the 2013 Food Code to place even more emphasis on management and personnel knowledge and practices. Clearly the responsibility and importance of management is growing. You might ask why this is happening. While a restaurant may be open more than 3,000 hours a year, regulatory inspectors usually only “see” what goes on in the establishment three to four hours per year. The other 2,996 hours are management’s responsibility. Keeping all the food safety issues under control, providing guidance to employees and monitoring risk factors all contribute to the concept of what is collectively referred to as “active managerial control.”

The increasing cost of traditional regulatory activity combined with the public’s desire to minimize government growth challenges regulatory agencies to maximize the effectiveness of existing staff and resources. Through a series of innovative quality initiatives and risk-based inspections, a program can concentrate its efforts on protecting the public by eliminating sources of foodborne illness. This approach is creative, cost effective and empowering because it allows inspectors to involve restaurant operators in protecting the food supply.

(click to view larger)Though a national market of food production and distribution is critical to meeting the needs of the American population, the “farm to table” movement yields great benefits for both consumers and producers. “Farm to table” is a growing trend that refers to the consumption of locally-grown food or food that travels the shortest distance from the farm to the table.

For consumers, locally-grown fruits and vegetables are fresher, last longer and offer the highest nutrient density. Purchasing locally-grown fresh produce is an opportunity for community residents to interact with their local farmers and support their local economy.

Though the “farm to table” movement minimizes processing and transportation of agricultural products, consumers can be confident that the safety and quality standards for these products remain high. Many Florida growers participate in Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices programs, which promote best practices to verify that fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled and stored in the safest manner possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Audits of produce suppliers throughout the production and supply chain verify these industry-recognized practices are upheld.

For producers, serving their fresh products to their neighbors yields great benefits as well. The local market provides another potential avenue for distribution of their products. By eliminating packaging and transportation expenses, producers are able to charge less for their products and reap more profit. Furthermore, the exchange is an opportunity to educate consumers about where their food comes from and grow appreciation for the importance of agriculture.

Here in Florida, it’s easy to support the “farm to table” movement. The state’s year-round growing season yields fresh options every month. With nearly 300 commodities produced in Florida, our growers offer a wide variety of ingredients to choose Farm to Table Movement. What’s more, Fresh From Florida products have a strong reputation for being the freshest and highest quality products in the world.

Visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com to learn more about Fresh From Florida products.

Adam H. Putnam is Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.