By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q:

Hey Buddy, as the NC Mountain state fair approaches, my family and I have been wondering, “what is the number one thing that makes you question whether or not to eat at a food vendor at the fair?” I am planning on taking my grandkids, and I want to make sure I choose the safest fried turkey leg vendor.
-Jim W.

A: 

Hi Jim, thanks for writing in. That’s a great question, and perfect timing for the upcoming fair. Also, I’ll bet you didn’t know that September is Food Safety Awareness Month! Now for us “in the biz”, every month is food safety awareness month, but it’s great that we have a special time of the year dedicated specifically to food safety. You know, I see a lot of food prep, and I see a lot of violations. Lots of things make me cringe, but there IS one thing that shakes me to the core…

But before I can answer that question, you have to understand a little about what a health inspector does at the fair, and how a food vendor inspection works. It’s a little like a Quantum Leap episode…We leap from booth to booth, putting things right, and hoping each time that our next leap will be our last… (Oh Boy…) When we go to the fair, our initial visits are to issue each food vendor a temporary food event (TFE) permit. Before we will issue that permit though, a laundry list of items have to be in place, including food thermometers, sanitizer, ability to wash, rinse and sanitize equipment, hair restraints, handwashing stations, hot and cold holding equipment, and the ability to store food where it will not be tampered with. Those permits are required to be displayed in the vendors booth. I know that if I see that permit, then at least the basic requirements have been met, so that is the first thing I look for when choosing which crinkle fries booth I visit. Next, I look at employee hygiene. Now don’t get me wrong, I love to see a simple grilled cheese sandwich slapped together with mounds of butter and thrown on the grill, but if the person doing the slapping isn’t wearing gloves, I stop right there. I am always astonished that bare hand contact with ready to eat food still occurs. Bare hand contact with ready to eat food is the number one thing that grosses me out. Now, you might say, “But Jason, you’ve been to my house several times when I’ve cooked and I touch food all the time! You’ve never said a word about it!” Well, Jim, that’s true, but you aren’t selling food to the public, you aren’t employing a kitchen full of people that may or may not be sick and are only coming to work because they need the paycheck, you are pretty good about washing your hands, and you aren’t sick.
Alright, now that that’s cleared up, let’s talk about what bare hand contact really means. Obviously, it means no contact with ready to eat foods without the use of gloves, utensils, or some other barrier. What is not said so much, is the organisms that we are trying to prevent. Now, I’m a health inspector, not a microbiologist, so I’m not going to get into the whole gram positive, gram negative, rod, flagella thing. That stuff is for identification. It’s important, but that’s not what I’m here for. I’m concerned with where these little buggers are going to grow, and what they are going to do to you. Bare hand contact with ready to eat food is the prime vector for pathogens that rely on the fecal-oral routes of transmission. We’ve talked about that before in previous articles, so I’m just going to lay it out here… Fecal-oral routes of transmission mean that you eat some amount of a pathogen that was shed in someone’s (or something’s) feces. Its gross, but it’s just that simple.
You may remember me talking in previous articles about the “Big 5” foodborne pathogens. Now there’s not going to be a quiz about this, but a good way to remember the Big 5 is to use the acronym *HENSS*.
-Hepatitis
-E. Coli
-Norovirus
-Salmonella
-Shigella
Now you are probably wondering, “What’s so special about these 5? There are hundreds of pathogens that can make me sick!” That’s true, but these 5 share some common traits. They all can make you sick from low doses, they all infect your gut after you eat them, and they are all shed in feces.
So, why does bare hand contact with ready to eat food make me stop on a dime? BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOUR HANDS HAVE BEEN! Did that guy wash his hands after coming out of the Port-A-John? Most of the ones I’ve seen don’t have sinks built in. Did he wash his hands before chunking those beef patties between those two Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts? Did that sweet old lady wash before she so lovingly pulled that bacon wrapped corn out of the fryer? What about that dude selling the pickle dogs? (It’s a hollowed out pickle with a hot dog shoved inside and then, of course, deep fried…) Did he wash before he slathered that dog in mustard and handed it over with a side of six feet of ribbon fries?
So to answer your question Jim, bare hand contact is the number one thing I look for when choosing where to eat. And I don’t just mean at the fair. Take a good look around the restaurants you visit, and make sure you are getting safe food. If you see someone touching the food that you are about to eat, think twice, and remember what we have discussed today. That fecal-oral thing is no joke.
Stay safe, and enjoy the fair!

-Big 5 (HENSS)

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q:

Hi Jason, quick question. Can you tell me about gravy? Why should I *Be Serious* about food safety when it comes to gravy? The gravy is my family’s favorite part of the meal, and with Thanksgiving coming up, I’d really like to know more about how to make the best and safest gravy for my perfectly roasted turkey.
-Paul
 

A: 

Happy Thanksgiving Paul! You know, this is a question that I always get asked this time of year. Everybody wants to know the secret ingredient to making a great gravy. Well, I want you know that I have that secret, and I’ll be happy to share it with you guys. You know, gravy is the thing people remember, and the thing people get upset about when it’s gone. It doesn’t matter what you’ve got on your plate, if there is gravy available, you pour it on. You pour that gravy on EVERYTHING. “Boy, you get some gravy on that plate!” my dad would command… “But Dad, its chocolate chip pecan pie…” I’d respond. “Don’t you sass me, boy!” And THAT’S how I learned to love and appreciate gravy. True story.
Now another thing you need to know is the difference between a gravy and a sauce. Gravy IS a sauce, and most of the gravies we are familiar with are actually just derivatives of one of the 5 classic French sauces. So the real difference between a gravy and a sauce is simply cultural semantics. In some applications, we call it a gravy, as in “biscuits and gravy”, other times it’s a sauce, as in “spaghetti sauce”. The one thing that all the sauces have in common (well, except one) is the use of a roux. A roux is just flour and a fat cooked together to form a paste. Once you have that down, the rest is easy. Now you don’t really need to know all the classic French “mother” sauces, but if you are really interested, you can find them here [https://guide.michelin.com/hk/en/hong-kong-macau/dining-in/the-5-mother-sauces-of-french-cuisine/news]

For the purposes of this article, (and for the purposes of Thanksgiving, duh…) we are going to focus on the Veloute sauce. Its super basic and super easy once you know the secret. It’s starts as just your basic roux. In this case, we get our fat from the drippings (or “drippins” as I like to call them) from the roasted turkey, and mix it with the flour to form that paste we talked about earlier. Then we add some stock, and BOOM, we got gravy. Seriously that simple.
So if it’s so easy to make, then why am I talking about it? What’s the food safety issue here? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s a little bacteria known as Bacillus Cereus (or B. Cereus…see what I did there?) and it wants to hang around your thanksgiving gravy like your weird uncle who keeps dipping his fingers into everything… (You know who you are…). Bacillus Cereus likes the warm, comfy feel of a gravy blanket, and honestly, who wouldn’t? It is naturally found in the environment, and is a spore former that is pretty good at resisting hot and cold temperatures. So how do you keep this little guy at bay? Easy! Keep your gravy hot! Hot holding temperatures in restaurants are at least 135 degrees F for all food products. No exception for home use. You don’t have to keep it boiling, but a nice, even heat will keep that delicious gravy safe. Remember, nobody likes tepid gravy except Bacillus Cereus, and he wasn’t even invited! If you want to make your gravy ahead of time, (which, let’s be honest, is a great idea, but nobody ever does that) just make sure to cool your gravy properly, and refrigerate at correct temperatures. Remember, we talked about thawing turkeys last year and how much time it takes…(24 hours for every 4 pounds of bird)…so you are going to be limited on space in your otherwise empty fridge. Don’t make the mistake of leaving your gravy on the counter because you have 14 different casseroles in there. When it’s time to reheat that gravy, just make sure it comes up to at least 165 degrees, and then holds at 135 or above. How are you going to know what temperature it is? Use your meat thermometer! I know you already have it set out to use on your turkey…right? Obviously you remember the final cook temperature for turkey…no reason for me to mention that turkey needs to reach 165 degrees to be safe. No reason for me to remind you that if you have stuffing in that bird, that stuffing needs to reach 165 degrees, too…

So, as promised, here is the secret to a great thanksgiving gravy (or Veloute)…The secret ingredient is not an ingredient, it’s a measurement. This is where a lot of people mess it up, but all you have to remember is this…(mostly) equal parts flour and fat. Simple as that. A good amount of gravy is about 4 cups. I mean, that’s good enough for most families; that should take care of about 10 or so people. Not my family…we need about one cup per person. But that’s beside the point. Cook your fat and flour together until nice and brown, about 5 tablespoons of each. The color of your final gravy is correlated to the color of your roux, so if you like a nice, light gravy, just cook your roux until its lightly browned. If you like a deeper, richer gravy, cook it until it’s a little darker. Cooking it longer will also take out the slightly raw taste of the flour. Now one thing to keep in mind… If you don’t have enough fat from your drippings, you can either substitute butter, or add butter until you have equal amounts. Won’t hurt a thing. When you have reached your desired color, start slowly adding your stock. You will need about 4 cups or so. Whisk continuously, and bring to a boil. This is important. The boil is the kill step in the process. E. Coli can survive in dry flour, so don’t skip that step! After the boil, reduce to a simmer and taste. Toss in some salt and pepper if you need to, or throw in a sprig of thyme or sage. If you feel fancy, splash in some white wine. Congratulations! You just made a French sauce! Brag about to your family about how you are an international chef!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q:

Hey Jason, just a quick question about the upcoming pool season. I have two little girls and they love to swim! At my neighborhood pool, I have noticed some rather unsavory guests, whom I believe may be *ahem* urinating in the pool during their swim. This is ATROCIOUS! I can’t believe any person in their right mind would even CONSIDER urinating in a public pool! Someone needs to teach these heathens a lesson! Can you tell me something to ease my mind?
-Ashley

A: 

Uhhhhh, hi Ashley…I mean, you’re right (I guess)…wow….I mean, personally I never….I mean…let’s just get to your question….

So, you want to keep the “P” out of your pool (“ool…”?)
I get it. No one wants to go swimming in a dirty pool, and we’ve all heard the rumors about how if you smell a strong chlorine smell there must be a lot of urine in the pool (*SPOILER ALERT*-it’s not just a rumor…). But that’s a different article. Today, let’s just talk about the actual amount of urine in a pool, and what that means for us.

Take a good look around any pool during the summer and you’re going to see all kinds of people. From week old babies to 99 year old lap swimmers, the pool is one of the most popular spots on nice, warm, sunny days. And, let’s be real, sometimes mother nature strikes when we feel that cool water on our pasty white winter bodies. Its natural. In fact, I did some research for you guys to see just how much we need to be worried about swimming in other peoples pee-pee.

Alright, let’s take a look at an average sized swimming pool. Let’s say a 15′ X 30′, that’s pretty average, right? Ok, just for arguments sake, we’ll say it’s 8′ deep on the deep end, and 3′ deep on the shallow side. That’s going to give us a total of 18,513 gallons of water. Ok, you’re with me so far, right? According to the NC swimming pool rules, the maximum bather load for a pool this size is 24 people. That’s not too bad. Stay with me… Now, according to different sources, the average person urinates a total of 5 to 6 times a day, for a total of between 800 and 2000 milliliters per day of urine. That’s kind of a big range, so let’s agree to split the difference and say 1400 milliliters. 1400 milliliters is 47 ounces. That gives us 47 ounces of urine per day, per person. Heck, that’s just a little over 2 pints! You probably drink more than that at lunch (not that you’re drinking urine for lunch, but you know what I mean…) SO, let’s assume our 24 people are all in the pool at the same time, and spontaneously decide to release their total amount of urine for the day. (We don’t really need to know why they would decide, or even be able, to do this… maybe they are just really in tune with their bodies, that’s something we should all aspire to… doesn’t matter for the purposes of this article though) That’s still only 1,128 ounces of urine! That’s about 141 cups, which is roughly 8.8 gallons of urine that just got released. Sounds pretty gross, right? Well, let’s look at this way…8.8 gallons out of 18,513 gallons is only 0.047%!! We’re talking less than 1/10th of one percent! That’s not so bad, right?
Why, based on the FDA action plans for some common household foods, I’d say it’s almost safer to take a swim than to eat a jar of peanut butter! Don’t believe me? Check this out…The FDA “defect action levels” (that means how much is allowed before action is taken) for a 16 ounce jar of peanut better allow an average of 1 rodent hair per 100 grams…100 grams equals about 3.5 ounces, so 454 grams equals about 16 ounces. That means it’s perfectly allowable for approximately 4.5 rodent hairs to be in that jar of your favorite PB. OR… an average of 30 or more insect parts per 100 grams…so roughly 135 insect parts per jar. Man! There’s a lot of math in this article! (#wedidthemath) YUM! Enjoy that PB&J! You can read (or not) more about the FDA action plans here… https://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm056174.htm Remember though, ignorance is bliss. You have been warned.

But that’s not why we are here today. I’ll save that stuff for another article.
Let’s talk about what’s going on down there at the bottom of the pool with those drains. Take a look at the bottom of the pool and you are either going to see one, or two drain covers. Now, if you don’t see any drain covers down there, and it just looks like a big hole…Get. Out. Of. The. Pool! Those drain covers do more than just look pretty (and let’s be honest, none of them are really that great looking). So here’s what you need to know. A single drain pool is exactly what it sounds like… one main drain at the bottom of the pool. So what difference does that make? Well it means that the pump is only pulling water out of that one hole, and therefore has an incredible suction. These are the kind of drains where kids (and grown-ups!) get stuck. Not to overstate the obvious here, but GETTING STUCK ON A DRAIN IS VERY VERY BAD!! Now, a pool with 2 drains (more than 3′ apart) is a little safer in that in the event that someone does get close enough to get stuck, the presence of the additional drain allows for less suction per drain. Pools are safer now than they were even 10 years ago, with advancements in drain cover design and the inclusion of safety vacuum release systems that sense when a single drain cover is blocked and will automatically shut off the pump, but suction hazards can be present in all pools and parents should NEVER let children play in or around swimming pools without adult supervision. So what should you look for before cannon-balling in? First and foremost, the water itself. Swimming pool water should be clear enough that you can easily see the drains. If you jump in the pool and notice that you can’t see your Spiderman aqua socks, you should get out of the pool. Next, the drains and drain covers. Make sure the drains have covers that aren’t broken or cracked, and are securely attached to the pool floor. If you see a single drain, ask someone in charge if there is a safety vacuum release system in place that is checked regularly. Make sure there are no uncovered holes in the sides of the pool. Some holes are return inlets, where the water is placed back in the pool after going through a filter and usually a chlorine treatment, and maybe a heater, but no holes should ever be uncovered. Even a small hole can present a suction hazard to hands, hair, or anything else. Make sure you are familiar with the location of the life-saving equipment and the emergency phone. They should all be accessible and in good repair. Don’t bring glass bottles into the pool enclosure, and leave your sweet little Jack Russel terrier at home. Lastly, follow the pool rules. They’re right there on the sign! Read them!
Do yourself a favor…Right after you get to the pool and put your Gremlins (Don’t feed them after midnight!) beach towel down on that chair with the plastic strands that have been baking in the hot sun all day (you know the kind I’m talking about), and while Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Walk on the Ocean” is playing on the teenagers radio, do a quick walk around the pool and take note of a few things. Better safe than sorry.
Have a great summer everyone!

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q:

Hello Jason. With summer fast approaching, my family is looking forward to spending more time outdoors. We love to grill out on our patio, but we have always been afraid of undercooking our food, so we end up burning or severely overcooking everything. Is there a safe way to move food from our normal kitchen area to our grilling area, and what are some tips we can use to help us maintain delicious, properly prepared meats and vegetables?
-Julie

A: 

Hi Julie, I’m glad you asked this question. This is the time of the year when people start spending more and more time outside, with music playing, kids going crazy in the street, everybody wearing their shades until 10 PM…you know what I’m talking about. It’s only natural that somebody throws some meat on the grill and the next thing you know, BAM! Salmonellosis is running rampant.
Now, hopefully, none of us will experience this scenario this summer, and there are several things you can do to help avoid this. This is a good time to remember the “core four” rules of sanitation…
1) Clean-You want to make sure that everything that comes in contact with your food is clean. I’m talking about pans, cutting boards, utensils like tongs, knives, EVERYTHING. There is no easier way to contaminate your food than with dirty utensils.
2) Separate-This seems easy, but is sometimes surprisingly difficult. You must make sure that cooked food never comes in contact with utensils that have previously handled or touched raw meat.
3) Cook-Unless you haven’t been to a restaurant in the last 25 years, I’m sure you are familiar with the consumer advisory. It’s usually that tiny print at the bottom of the menu that talks about eating raw or undercooked food, and the possibility of becoming sick by consuming certain foods. (We will talk more about the consumer advisory in another issue…) Same rules apply at home…you want to make sure that all your food is completely cooked for food safety, but at the same time, you want to maintain quality by not overcooking. There is only one way to do this…~spoiler alert~-it’s not the poke and feel method, it’s not the cut and watch the juices to see if they run clear method, it’s not the “been on there for 2 and a half hours” method, and it’s not the “well, my brother-in-law always leaves chicken on the grill for 2 minutes per side and it’s the best! Ain’t never got sick yet” method. The only way to be sure a food is cooked is to use a food thermometer, and know the correct final cook temperatures for the food you are cooking. Now, with that being said, a chef or experienced cook may be able to tell when a food is properly cooked through learned methods and awareness of conditions, but to be on the safe side, I recommend using a food thermometer.
4) Cool or serve immediately-After your food is removed from the grill (or whatever method you are using) don’t let it sit around* while you finish that second gin and tonic. Hopefully you have prepared sides or other dishes that are ready to go when your food is removed from the grill. If you aren’t going to be eating the dish shortly after it is removed from the heat, you need to begin actively cooling the food to ensure it is not maintained in “the danger zone” (145 degrees F – 45 degrees F) for a long period of time.
If you are a long time reader of our “Ask A Health Inspector” column, you already know the importance of thoroughly washing your hands before, during, and after food preparation. It’s not OK to grab raw meat, slap it on the grill, and wipe your hands on your “AC/DC” T-shirt. Even Angus Young wouldn’t do that.
Other things to remember during the summer months include proper thawing, proper marinating, and correct holding temperatures. Putting a 2 pound package of frozen hamburger in the sink and letting it sit there all day because “Gotta get ready for tonight!” is not proper thawing. Safe methods for thawing food include placing it under running water of 70 degrees or less, as part of the cooking process (which I don’t recommend for burgers) or the preferred method of thawing; under refrigeration. Yes, it’s going to take a little more planning to remember to grab the meat out of the freezer, but hey, you’re reaching in there for ice anyway for that gin and tonic, right? It’s right there! Just grab it!
It is possible to safely thaw meat in the microwave, but be careful, as microwaves tend to fluctuate, and can pretty easily “over-thaw” something. Sometimes it’s hard to hide that really dry, overcooked part of a burger with cheese (yeah, I do that too…~wink~)

Marinating is an issue that we run across frequently as well. It is not safe to marinate something on the counter at room temperature. Many people think that because their marinade contains citrus juices, or salt, or hot sauce, or whiskey, or whatever, that microorganisms can’t grow. WRONG. Just as with cooked food, raw food held at “danger zone” temperatures can grow multitudes of bacteria. Yes, when you put the food on the grill and thoroughly cook it to its appropriate final cook temperature, the bacteria will be killed…BUT, what won’t be killed is toxins that the bacteria can produce. Toxins are made up of proteins, and technically aren’t “alive”, therefore they can’t be killed by heat. So be sure to marinate your food under refrigeration, and ensure that you are storing your foods correctly in the fridge. Don’t put your banana pudding under the marinating chicken. It’s a well-known fact that bacteria love banana pudding… (This is not true, and is just used as an illustrative point, but for real, don’t put raw, marinating foods above ready-to-eat foods. It is a really bad idea, and I would mark a restaurant for doing this and take points.) This leads us into correct holding temperatures.

If you are going to be holding foods they must be maintained at temperatures above 135 degrees F or below 45 degrees F. Holding at these temperatures will prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, and therefore be less likely to produce toxins, not to mention most people like their food hot, not tepid. I’m not one to cite etiquette, but it’s just not polite to serve your guests cold food.

So this summer, when you are out chilling with your buddies, hanging around, talking about how crazy the kids are, remember to be safe when Bubba tells you he’s just going in to grab another beer and that chicken that’s been sitting on the table since noon in his special blend of liquor and clam juice. It might not be the best idea to put Bubba in charge of the grill next week…if you live to see next week…

*By “sitting around” I mean left for longer than about 30 minutes or so. It is usually a good final cook step to let your food (especially meat) rest for a period of about 5-10 minutes before slicing or serving. This rest time will allow for the juices of the meat to redistribute, and will allow the food to reach its final cook temperature… (You DO know your final cook temperatures, right? If not, we will cover those in another issue. Sorry, you are not allowed to grill anything until you read that article…lol)-
JM

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q: : Jason…my favorite meat market (they have great haggis) has a score of 90! How is this possible? They don’t even cook anything!
-Adam

A: 

: Hey Adam, great question! Meat markets are those sacred spots, usually in grocery stores, that allow us the opportunity to pick out what slab of protein we want for dinner. From the elegant scallop, to the downright dirty rack of ribs, meat markets have most anything you need for that dinner, BBQ, low county boil, or whatever event might come your way. Let’s talk about how that place got a 90…

You are correct, most meat markets don’t cook anything. This should be a clue as to what caused your favorite spot to get that score. In the absence of cooking, the items we look at during an inspection are basically food storage and food holding. Remember that foods must be stored by final cook temperature. That means that foods that have the highest final cook temperature must be stored at the bottom. For instance, chicken has a final cook temperature of 165 degrees F. So, what’s going to happen if you put raw chicken over a raw hamburger? Well let’s say Bubba opens up the reach in cooler, and is looking for an ice cold cherry coke. He sees one in the very back, and as he’s reaching for it, he tips the chicken and the chicken juice just teeming with salmonella hits the burgers stored underneath. Let me tell you something…Bubba doesn’t care. As long as that chicken or burger didn’t hit the floor, he’s not worried about it, (and heck, most of the time, he wouldn’t care if it DID hit the floor, so long as nobody saw it). So, next thing you know, you’ve stopped by Bubbas Meat Market on your way home. The kids are screaming, the Sirius XM isn’t working right, your “check engine” light just came on, and you’re about to run out of gas. You need something quick and easy. Burgers! Easy! Fire up the gas grill, throw ’em on, and in 15 minutes, dinner is served. A perfect burger that just reached 155 degrees F. Everybody dig in, right? Wait a minute…remember when Bubba was reaching for that cherry coke? Oh yeah, salmonella from that juice was all over those burgers…Salmonella isn’t killed until 165 degrees F…Uh-oh…You’ve got a problem.
Food storage issues? That’s a 1.5 point violation right there, unless it’s a repeat, in which case it could be a 3 point violation.

With all those bacteria, viruses and parasites around raw meat, you would think it would be pretty important to keep everything clean, wouldn’t you? Well it is! Do you think Bubba takes time out of his day to mix up the proper concentration of chlorine sanitizer? Heck no! He’s busy, man! Got to get those ribeyes sliced, all that meat ground, and those birds cut up. Aww man! Bubba forgot to clean the slicer, grinder, and his knives yesterday. Oh well, let’s just wipe everything down with this rag, and throw it on the counter. No sanitizer? Dirty equipment? Another 1.5 point violation (or 3 if it’s a repeat), plus wiping cloths stored on counters and prep areas? Nope, sorry Bubba, cloths used for wiping must be stored in a sanitizer solution during pauses in use. Think it’s not a big deal? What about that chicken juice you just wiped up off the floor? I just watched you clean your knives with the same rag! That’s another .5 points.

Hey look over there! Meat on the floor over by the walk in cooler. Bubba had a delivery today! All those boxes of meat came in this morning, and you’ve been so busy you just haven’t had time to put them up? Well, I understand, but its 3:30 now…Improper cold holding? Another 1.5, (or 3 if rep….oh you get the idea…) plus food on the floor? .5 points.
Hey Bubba, what’s this chunk of meat over here by the slicer? Its frozen, and you’re waiting on it to thaw so it will slice easier? Remember, frozen foods have to thaw under refrigeration or under running water. Improper thawing? .5 points. Bubba’s score is rolling downhill like a snowball headed for hell.

Hey Bubba, what’s in this Yeti 110? Uh, yeah, I can see it’s some meat…what I mean is, what is it, and where did it come from? It’s a goat carcass from Gambling Gary’s Goat Grocery? Yeah, that’s not an approved source, Bubba. That’s another 1 point. You’re going to need to get that ghastly gruesome goat gone…now.

Oh hey! Over here is a big chunk of meat sitting in one compartment of your 3 compartment sink! And I see you have some dirty knives and meat trays in the next compartment. Bubba, I’ve told you over and over that you can only use your 3 compartment sink for one thing at a time. You can’t have dirty utensils in the sink at the same time as prepped food. That’s another 1 point, because this is the 5th time I have marked this on your inspection.
I see your dumpster doors are open, and as usual, the drain plugs are missing. In reviewing your past inspections, I see we have marked drain plugs missing 6 times. This is a repeat violation, so that’s another 1 point gone. You just can’t let delicious trash juice keep leaking all over the parking lot. Insects and rodents love it! And if they can find their way to your dumpster, they can find a way in to your meat market, Bubba.

OK Pal, we are almost finished with your inspection. Just show me your food protection manager training certificate, and I’ll get this all typed up. What’s that? You are not a certified food protection manager? Aww man, that’s another 2 points. Remember, a certified food protection manager must be onsite at all times of operation.

So Adam, by my count, that’s 11 points worth of violations right there, which would give Bubbas Meat Market a score of 89. Believe me friends, it can and does happen. If your favorite meat market has a low score, you need to be asking yourself “why?” Remember, all of our inspections can be found online at https://foothills-nc.healthinspections.us/#home. It is an invaluable tool, and I strongly encourage you to use it.

Stay safe, friends!

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q: : Hi Jason, as summer and hot weather approaches, what do I need to know about protection from mosquitoes, and what role would mosquitoes play in the event of a zombie apocalypse? I want to be prepared…
-Rachael

A: 

Wow Rachael, that’s a really great question… (and I thought I was paranoid…).
The summer months are filled with music, food, fun and skeeters. These little buggers can turn a fun evening into a tormented level of Dante’s inferno.

So here’s what you need to know about mosquitoes, (don’t worry, we’ll get to the zombies later) and how to protect yourself. First, you need to understand where mosquitoes like to hang around, and why. There are approximately 60 species of mosquitoes in NC, and they all like to hang out at pools of water (just like us!) but they want to do more than just take a dip and suck down a cherry coke…they want to lay their eggs in nice, cool, stagnant pools of water. You know where there are some really great pools of nice, cool, stagnant water? How about that lawnmower you’ve been meaning to fix? Does that collect any water? Or how about those 5 gallon buckets you were going to use to brew beer that time, but then you had a kid and now they just stay stashed away under your deck? Do those hold water? What about those holes in that tree in the yard where those branches broke that time in the rain storm, but all you did was get mad because they fell on top of your jeep? I bet those holes fill up with water now. And don’t forget that birdbath that you got as a birthday present from your elderly neighbor, even though nobody really uses birdbaths anymore. Heck, those things are MADE to hold water! That old pair of shoes that your significant other wanted to throw away, but you swore you would use for gardening? Totally full of water now.

My point is, there are hundreds of things that collect water outside your house that you may not recognize, and they are perfect spots for mosquitoes because you have forgotten about them. This is the exact reason for the “tip and toss” campaign. This campaign was designed to increase awareness of items around the home that have the potential to become larval breeding sites for mosquitoes. If you see something collecting water, tip it, and toss it in the trash.
Now, let’s look at what actually draws mosquitoes to you. According to webmd.com, mosquitoes are drawn to heat, movement, and carbon dioxide, and some people are just more genetically inclined to be attractive to mosquitoes due to their bodies abilities to process certain compounds like cholesterol and uric acid. That’s why you always seem to be targeted while you are engaged in that neighborhood volleyball game.
Mosquitoes have the ability to carry lots of awful illnesses, including LaCrosse encephalitis, west nile, Zika, malaria, dengue, chikengunya, eastern and western equine encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis, and yellow fever. (Ain’t nobody got time for that…”)

There are several ways to protect yourself from mosquitoes, and probably the most well-known is our old friend, DEET. N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide was developed by the US government in the 1940s, and was put into use for the general public in 1957. It has been deemed safe by the EPA for direct application to the skin with minimal side effects, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that concentrations of DEET at 10% or less are safe to use on infants over 2 months old. However, there are alternatives. Picaridin (Cutter Advanced) has been shown to be just as effective as DEET, with a lighter feel and smell, and IR3535 (Avons skin-so-soft) is sometimes marketed as a mosquito repellant, although much less effective than DEET. (“Hey look at Billy down there, them skeeters ain’t botherin’ him, and dang! His skin sure is soft…”)

There are some non-chemical alternatives available as well, but they provide considerably less protection than our chemical friends. Citronella, peppermint, and lemon grass (among others) may provide protection for up to about an hour and a half. Oil of lemon eucalyptus (marketed as Repel) can provide protection similar to that of low concentrations of DEET.

Which leads me to zombies…

Have you ever seen a zombie move?!? Except for what we have recently seen on “The Walking Dead”, traditional zombies are extremely slow moving. Historically, zombies wander around malls and suburbs and attack people that get close, but they have never been known to catch fleeing prey. Very little movement here for mosquitoes to detect. Additionally, due to zombies being dead and all, they aren’t going to be breathing as much (or at all) so their carbon dioxide output is minimal at best. That’s strike two against zombies. Finally, they don’t have any bodily processes going on, so whatever they are eating (brains) is just sitting in their rotten tummies. Biologically speaking, the case for zombies is weak. There are no studies showing that mosquitoes would be attracted to zombies, so I’d say the threat of mosquitoes being a vector of whatever turned the zombies into zombies is very low (non-existent).
With that being said, there is no evidence to suggest that DEET provides any amount of protection from the living dead. Stay safe, friends…

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q: Hi Jason. I have a question about oysters. I love raw oysters, but I’m worried about eating them in the summer, because my Granny told me to never eat oysters in months with no “R”. Is this true? Why? Am I doomed to only eat oysters in the cold months?
-Jamie

A: 

Well Jamie, this is a very common question, and one that I’m glad you brought up, considering that May is the first month of the year with no “R”. (Convenient how that worked out, huh…) The old adage of not eating oysters in months with no “R” came about for very good reason. In the days of yore, when digging up your own oysters was commonplace, it was a bad idea to eat our little shelled friends in the summer months due to the red tide in warm water areas. The microscopic algae blooms of the red tide produce toxins, and introduce them into areas where shellfish are harvested, and the shellfish then absorb these toxins making them harmful to humans. The scientific community has, in recent years, decided to use the term Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) rather than “red tide”. Why? Because scientists believe they need to overcomplicate things…Red tides (or HABs) have been documented in every coastal state, and occur almost every summer in Florida.

So, should you eat oysters in the summer months? Of course! (with some caveats…) They are delicious! (so long as you get them from a reputable source…) I like mine raw, with a mignonette (men-ya-NET), and some crackers! (they can also be accompanied by lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic, or any number of stomach churning toppings…)
Today, oysters from most grocery stores and/or restaurants come from commercially harvested areas, are regulated by the FDA, and are usually from cold water climates. In addition, throughout North Carolina, establishments that sell and/or cook shellstock are required to maintain the tags that are attached to bags of shellstock for a minimum of 90 days , record the date of last sale, and maintain them in the establishment in chronological order, just in case anyone does get sick.

Now, with all that being said, a bigger worry about eating oysters (at least raw oysters) is Vibrio parahaemolyticus (para-HEEMA-lit-a-cuss) and Vibrio vulnificus (vul-NIF-a-cuss). These two species of bacteria live and thrive in warm, salt water environments, and are associated with eating raw or undercooked seafood, particularly shellfish. A V. parahaemolyticus infection causes all the standard flu-like symptoms, (fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc.) but most people make it through, without medication, in about 3 days or so. V. vulnificus, however, is a much meaner little fellow, and is particularly harmful to those who are immunocompromised. V. vulnificus can enter the body through ingestion, or through open wounds or cuts. Symptoms usually show up between 1 and 7 days after exposure, and can include similar issues to parahaemolyticus, but can include skin lesions, and shock. About 50% of patients die from a V. vulnicus infection, even with aggressive treatment. The good news is, only about 30 cases are reported in the United States per year. For you math nerds, that means about 0.6 cases per state, per year. Not enough for me to worry about, but if you are, you should know that heat kills all species of Vibrio. Heat is the ONLY thing that kills vibrio. Hot sauce will NOT kill vibrio. Lemon juice will NOT kill vibrio. Prayer will NOT kill vibrio.

So, while you may think a groovy vacation is digging oysters for your next shucking, while listening to “Pulling Mussels From a Shell” and “Rock Lobster”, it would be advisable to get all your shellstock from a reputable source, just so you live to see next year’s vacation…

Mignonette recipe
-2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or onion)
-About ½ cup red wine vinegar
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Combine all ingredients and chill (and I mean put into refrigeration, not just hang out on the couch listening to jazz…) until ready to serve.

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q:  Hi Jason. Why is sushi so gross? I would NEVER eat anything that was raw, especially fish! How in the world did people decide that eating raw fish would be a good idea? And what do all those other words mean? Sashimi. What’s that?!? Nigiri? How do I even pronounce that?!? Don’t people get really sick from that stuff?
-April

A: 

Glad you asked April. Let’s talk about sushi. One of American cuisines biggest challenges, and a mystery to almost everyone. A Japanese staple since the ninth century, sushi is a term that really doesn’t mean what most people think of when sushi is mentioned. Sushi is actually the preparation and combination of ingredients with rice and vinegar. Sashimi (Sa-SHE-me) is usually confused with the term “sushi” and means thinly sliced, raw fish sometimes served with daikon radish or other ingredients. Nigiri (Ni-GEAR-ee) is raw fish served on a small bed of rice. What most people think of when they hear sushi is the maki (MA-key) roll. Rice with seaweed (nori) rolled up with avocado, fruit, crab, fish etc. topped with thin slices of fish and/or roe. It is important to note that there are a million varieties of this, and every restaurant may have a different term for what they call something.

The important thing to know about the safety of sushi is how the fish and rice are handled. In NC, most sushi grade fish is supplied to restaurants from suppliers that have frozen the fish to a temperature of -4 degrees F, and held for 168 hours (7 days). This will effectively kill any parasites that may be present in the fish. Additionally, each food establishment that serves sushi is required to maintain a “parasite destruction form” on site, from the supplier of the fish. Yellowfin, bigeye, northern and southern Bluefin tunas are exempt from the parasite destruction requirement. Rice is handled in a variety of ways. If sushi rice is too hot, it can’t be rolled or formed correctly. If it is too cold, same problem. From a food safety standpoint, we have issues with food (in this case, the rice) being held at room temperature. Therefore, establishments can either choose to create a plan called a HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plan, that will allow them to add enough vinegar to reach a certain pH so they can leave the rice out for an extended period of time, or they can choose to use time as a public health control (TPHC) which will allow the establishment to keep the rice out of temperature for a period of not more than 4 hours, and is then discarded. Either way is an accepted method, and these are items that are reviewed at each inspection. So, theoretically, sushi, if prepared and handled correctly, is safe.

So let’s talk a little about what makes people sick from sushi. Just a warning before we start…it’s not pretty…

The most common illness associated with eating sushi and other raw or undercooked seafood is anisakis (annie-SOCK-us) simplex. Basically, anisakis is a nematode, or in regular people terms…a worm. It is present on certain types of fish, and through mishandling of fish products after harvesting, it can make its way from the flesh of the fish to the muscle. It is a parasite that is destroyed by freezing at a certain temperature for a certain period of time (there won’t be a test on this, but we covered it above…). So let’s say you eat your favorite maki roll, and it just so happens it is infected with a herring worm…what happens next?
Well, first, the worm you ate is going to attach itself to your intestinal walls, where it will make a home for itself, and begin enjoying its new surroundings. You may notice symptoms in as little as one hour, up to two weeks. Symptoms may include the normal feelings of queasy-ness, up to feelings associated with appendicitis, or you may experience a tingling or tickling sensation in your throat… (In the literary world, this is known as foreshadowing)… So when you get back from vacation, make sure to remember the name of that cute, little out-of-the-way sushi place that the locals recommended… The worm can detach and reattach as often as it likes. After you vomit up, or manually extract (think about that for a second) the matured worm, you can take it to the doctor just to verify that you actually did get it from the raw fish you ingested… (I can only imagine what my doctor would say if I brought that to him in a jar)… In some cases, the doctor may have to use a camera device to look around inside your stomach and intestines to verify the presence of the nematode. An infection can be very painful and if the worm is not removed manually or involuntarily, then surgery may be the only course of action….

I know…awful, right?

The good news is that only about 10 cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S. (that’s 0.2 per state, for all you math nerds) however, there is some suspicion that not all cases are reported. So, the takeaway here is that, though very rare, it is possible to become sick from raw fish. Anisakis is most commonly associated with cod, haddock, fluke, pacific salmon, herring, flounder, and monkfish. Remember those species I mentioned above that are exempt from the parasite destruction form? Well, I’m not going to tell you what to eat, but I know the rolls I’m going to pick. By the way, I know this cute, little out-of-the-way place that has great sushi…you should totally check it out…

By Jason Masters

     Environmental Health Director

A

Q:  Hello Jason. Well, I have a question… Every year at this time, I remember taking my kids
out for Halloween trick or treating. They would come home with bags and bags of candy, and
being the good parent I was, I had to go through all of it and pull out the “moldy” pieces. I’m
sure I saved my kids from all kinds of sickness, but I’d like to understand the differences
between mold on food and mold in a dirty ice machine. I’ve read a lot of health inspections,
and I noticed that “Ice machine is in need of cleaning to remove visible accumulation of mold
and mildew” is marked quite a bit. In the spirit of Halloween, I was hoping you could lend
some insight as to why this mold and slime is such a big deal.
-Keith M.

A: 

Happy Halloween Keith! Great question. You know, I remember when I was a kid growing up in the 80s, after my mom bought my brothers and me a costume, you know, one of those old 80s costumes with the one piece outfit and plastic mask? When you were at the store shopping for them, you could look right in the box and see that plastic mask through the cellophane window? Things like Smurfs, Transformers, He-Man, Magnum PI… those kind of things? Anyway, Halloween would finally arrive and we would all get our costumes on and my dad would drive us around the community and stop at all the houses. We would have to drive because we didn’t live close enough to any neighbors to walk. It was a big deal to get three kids out of the car, make sure all of our costumes were right, and finally get to the door. Of course, after all that, there was certainly no surprise when we knocked on the doors of the neighbors. Heck, we’d been there for twenty minutes before ever walking up to the house! But still, that didn’t stop my dad from loading us all back up after we got our usual Mary Janes, sugar daddies, maybe a Twix, and those inevitable (and awful) peanut butter things wrapped in orange or black paper, and heading out for the 4 minute drive to the next house. Yep, Halloween was a special time for my family and me in the 80s, and we still love it. But now, on to your question…

Slime. Mold. Mildew. All of these words evoke thoughts of an oozing mass of green, pink, black, or red ectoplasm, especially when used in conjunction with something like an ice machine, where it is usually seen. Makes sense though, ice machines are full of water and humidity, which is the perfect environment for the growth of moldy-ness. Now, is all mold harmful? Heck no! Penicillin comes from mold! Bleu Cheese comes from a molding process! And fermentation is kind of like controlling a molding process, and we all know what that leads to…Of course! Kimchi! And beer and wine, and that stuff too, if that’s what you’re into.

So if mold leads us to good things like fermented beverages, fizzy vegetables and tangy cheeses, why is it such a big deal in an ice machine?

Well here’s why… Picture, in your mind’s eye, a big green Jell-O mold in the shape of Slimer from Ghostbusters, with some tasty raisins inside. Here is the catch though, you can only get to those delicious raisins by wiping the side of the Jell-O with a rag. It’s going to take a lot of rubbing to get to those raisins. Well, in an ice machine, things like Listeria, E. coli, and Salmonella can get stuck in that mold and mildew layer. That layer is called a biofilm, and is going to provide a certain amount of protection to those pathogens, and allow them to grow and multiply, just like our friend Slimer is protecting those raisins. Wiping out mold and mildew when I point it out during a routine inspection does not solve the problem. Only a thorough cleaning, with the use of some kind of sanitizer will effectively clean the mold and mildew in an ice machine. How do those pathogens get in the ice machine in the first place? Well, if you are a regular reader of my articles, you already know that people don’t always wash their hands when they should. Food Employees in restaurants frequently handle raw proteins, and inevitably, some amount of pathogenic contamination is going to occur. Why do I care? I care because the 2017 FDA Food Code defines ice as a food. Now because we all live in a time where we don’t really have to worry about how safe our drinking water is, it really should come as no surprise that we just believe something as ubiquitous as ice is also safe and clean. Think about the applications of ice in a restaurant. Of course, the obvious, ice in drinks, but ice is used to cool foods quickly, by either placing hot pots or pans of food into ice baths, or by simply adding ice to a food product. Sometimes bottles or cans are placed in ice to keep them cold. That’s a lot of back and forth trips to the ice machine
with scoops and hands plunging deep into mounds of shiny, cold ice. Take a look at any meat market and you’ll see raw proteins sitting on top of ice all over the place. Easy to see how pathogens could make the jump there. Now that we’ve talked about some of biological hazards associated with ice machines, let’s talk for a second about physical hazards. In much the same way that pathogens can jump from bare hands into an ice machine, think about chunks of food that might be stuck on a food employees hands. If you work with food, you know that there is always a moment when something sticks to your hands. Could be a small piece of diced onion, might be a sticky piece of raw chicken fat, heck, it could even be something that gets stuck in your jewelry. Sometimes pieces of mold fall into the ice, sometimes screws fall into the ice, sometimes people put their leftover sardine sandwich in the ice machine to keep it cold. My point is, always be sure to keep an eye open for things in food that isn’t supposed to be there. You might be able to spot a nut or bolt in your cherry coke, but you aren’t going to see Salmonella or E. coli. That is
one of the reasons you have to be SUPER detailed if you call in to our office and claim you got sick. We are going to need to know EVERYTHING you ate, including what beverages.

Stay safe, friends, and have a great Halloween!