Food recalls are often in the news; most of us have become familiar with words like "Listeria" and "E.coli." We're wary of foods like Caesar salad dressing and homemade mayonnaise that contain raw eggs, and many restaurants refuse to serve hamburgers cooked rare. OK, so we're wary, but how much do we really know about foodborne contaminates?

According to Mary Wenberg of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the federal agency that is charged with ensuring the safety of meat, poultry and eggs, there are four types of food contaminates:

• Pathogenic Bacteria -- examples include E. coli, salmonella, and shigellosis
• Parasitic Protozoa and Worms -- examples include giardiasis, toxoplasmosis, and trichinosis
• Viruses -- examples include hepatitis A, rotavirus, and viral gastroenteritis
• Natural Toxins -- examples include pesticides, poisonous mushrooms and poisonous reef fishes

Recalls
According to the FSIS, "the purpose of a recall is to remove meat or poultry from commerce when there is reason to believe it may be adulterated (injurious to health or unfit for human consumption) or misbranded (false or misleading labeling and/or packaging). Even when the food has been previously inspected and passed by FSIS, a recall is necessary when new information becomes available indicating a possible public health issue."

FSIS learns about contaminated or mislabeled foods in a variety of ways: the food's distributor of manufacturer may inform them; test results of samples taken by FSIS; FSIS staff may learn or observe something that leads to the discovery; consumers may complain; or information from other government agencies, including state and local health departments or federal agencies.

Recalls are voluntary, according to FSIS, and they may be initiated either by the product's distributor or at FSIS' request. No company has ever refused a recall request from FSIS; however, if a company were to refuse, FSIS has the authority to seize the product.

Upon learning of an unsafe or mislabeled food, FSIS launches an investigation to determine whether or not a recall is necessary. If it is determined that a recall is necessary, a special Recall Committee determines the type of recall necessary. There are, according to FSIS, three types of recalls:

Class I: A Class I recall involves a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that eating the food will cause health problems or death. Meat that is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria or E.coli, would be subject to a Class I recall. Also, adding Class I allergens, such as peanuts or eggs, as an ingredient in processed meat without listing them on the label would justify a Class I recall.

Class II: A Class II recall involves a potential health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from eating the food. An example of a Class II recall would be the presence of dry milk, a Class II allergen, as an ingredient in sausage without mention of the dry milk on the label.

Class III: A Class III recall involves a situation when eating the food will not cause adverse health consequences. An example would be improperly labeled processed meat in which added water is not listed on the label as required by Federal regulations.

Food Safety at Home
While consumers can't prevent food contaminants that occur prior to purchase of their food, they can prevent contamination at home, according to Mary Wenberg. "Cross-contamination of foods in the home is one of the major causes of food borne illnesses," Wenberg says. One of the primary culprits is the juices in meats and poultry that contain bacteria; though the bacteria may be killed by cooking, unless meats and poultry are handled carefully, the juices can contaminate other foods. She cites several examples of cross-contamination: putting raw meat or poultry on a plate, cooking or grilling them and then putting them back on the same plate; not keeping raw meats or poultry separated from other foods (especially foods that won't be cooked). "The only thing that kills bacteria is heat," Wenberg points out. As a caution, though, she adds that some bacteria produces toxins that aren't killed by heat; this is the reasoning behind ensuring that all foods that need refrigeration are promptly refrigerated and not allowed to sit out.

Contaminated foods often don't taste "bad," but if you've eaten something that is contaminated, Wenberg says it's important that you seek medical attention. "Usually the symptoms are gastro-intestinal -- flu-like. We tell people it's pretty impossible to determine if food or other cause -- if they have eaten a suspect food, they should see their doctor to confirm whether they may have eaten something with Listeria or salmonella another contaminant. It's especially important that a doctor be involved if it's suspected that a small child ate contaminated food, and that medical attention be sought before dehydration occurs. It's helpful for the physician to know if person thinks their illness is due to something they ate; this kind of information can assist the physician in ruling a diagnosis in or out."

Preventing food contamination at home is not difficult or time consuming, and is worth more than any time and effort it may require. After all, it is far easier to wash off an apple than to suffer the consequences of salmonella poisoning.