Many variables affect risk of foodborne illness

By The Mercury



The study produced the article “Eggs and Poultry: Purchase, Storage and Preparation Practices of Consumers in Selected Asian Countries,” which was published in the journal Foods.

“We really wanted to know how consumers in different countries are actually handling raw eggs and poultry because these products are the source of two main bacteria: salmonella and campylobacter,” Koppel said. “These bacteria lead to many cases of foodborne illness and we need a better understanding of food handling practices to find the risky behaviors that may lead to contamination.”


“When you think about the range of countries that we had and you compare the annual average temperatures in those countries, they can vary by about 50-degrees Fahrenheit - and that’s a pretty big range,” Koppel said. “A lot can happen to eggs if they’re stored at room temperature in a country where the climate may be somewhat tropical.”



“If you think about the typical refrigerator and the air movement within the fridge, warmer air typically rises higher,” Koppel said. “If you put the meat in a place where the temperature is warmer, then it’s more likely to spoil. Raw meats also may have juices that leak and there is a possibility that the juices may cross-contaminate ingredients on lower shelves.”



“If you think about washing something in the sink, typically water splatters on the surface around the sink,” Koppel said. “If you have some other ingredients near the sink that you’re about to use for your meal, all that water splattering around the sink could cross-contaminate the other ingredients you are about to use.”


“This may seem like a safe behavior, but it really depends on the wiping agent,” Koppel said. “If you’re using a kitchen towel, it may not remove a lot of the material that’s come into contact with the cutting board. If you use the sponge that you use to wash dishes, research has shown that those sponges actually contain a lot of other bacteria and that may contaminate your other ingredients in addition to what’s already on the cutting board.”

