High-Risk Foods: Raw Milk and Raw Milk Products

Part I of a Series

By Susie McKinley

As a restaurant owner, manager or person-in-charge, it is an obligation of business to serve safe food to customers.  Awareness of and adherence to food safety requirements is the responsibility of all food service management and employees.  Why then offer foods that have a long-time association with foodborne illness?

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.  Raw milk and raw milk products come to mind as a food that has an inherent problem in remaining free from bacterial growth even after correct handling. 

Raw milk and raw milk products are part of a developing trend in the United States.  Consumers want to drink raw milk and eat raw milk products.  It seems as though the raw milk movement is a sort of “rebellion” against governmental oversight and control of food products.  It is difficult to understand the reasoning behind this “rebellion”, as unpasteurized milk can pose a serious and significant health risk.  Pasteurization has been used for more than 100 years as an effective tool against pathogenic contamination.  It is hard to understand why consumers would want to move away from a proven preventive method such as pasteurization.

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Choose Sustainable Seafood

Have you ever wondered where your fish came from, or whether it will always be available as a mealtime option? Most people probably haven’t, but it is time that we do. Seafood is the last wild-caught food commonly available at restaurants or in grocery stores. One of the healthiest food options available, seafood is packed with essential vitamins and minerals while also presenting a lean, low-fat option. And its versatility in the kitchen is unmatched by any other center-of-the-plate item.

Seafood’s versatility and deliciousness, however, have reduced some popular species down to alarmingly low levels, to the point where we may have to say goodbye to our favorite dinners.

Simply put, we’ve been taking too many fish out of the water and leaving too few behind to reproduce and sustain healthy populations. It’s up to all of us to protect these precious gifts from the ocean now and for future generations of fishermen, chefs and seafood lovers.

Restaurant owners, retailers and food service distributors are showing their commitment to sustainable fisheries through sound, informed decisions regarding the origin of the seafood they purchase and showcase.
“Awareness among chefs has grown dramatically, especially in the last five years,” says Executive Chef Jim Shirley of Great Southern Restaurant Group.

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New Seafood Safety Training Video

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bureau of Seafood Marketing and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association have partnered on a Wait Staff Training Video.  This is an interactive learning tool created to help anyone in the restaurant industry answer questions from the public regarding the safety of Florida seafood.  The video takes approximately 20 minutes to view and is designed for wait staff and chefs in restaurants across Florida.  The video is online and free to anyone who would like to use it.  The site does not require the user to sign in.

The training video is set in a typical Florida seafood restaurant with wait staff working with customers in a casual environment.  The video directs the wait staff participant to determine which method used by wait staff instills the most confidence in Florida seafood for customers.  The video also is directed at chefs by providing a conversation with the Department’s Chef Justin about the quality of fresh seafood.  Additionally, Chef Justin demonstrates an award-winning recipe.  A portion of the video also addresses further questions that wait staff and chefs might have about Florida seafood.

Do your part to instill consumer confidence in Florida Seafood, encourage your staff to take part in this educational video training today!

For more information about this innovative educational tool, please visit www.servewithconfidence.com.

Sushi and Parasite Destruction Requirements

By Diane L. Kelsch, MS, REHS

Sushi” refers to a special kind of cooked sticky rice with sweetened rice wine vinegar, but commonly, the term is used to describe a finger-sized piece of raw fish or shellfish on or with a bed of acidified (vinegar) rice.  Although sushi can be made from a wide variety of fish and non fish ingredients, fish products commonly used in sushi include salmon, snapper, tuna, mackerel, yellowtail, roe, sea urchin, eel, clam, conch, scallops, crab, and lobster. 

The larval stage of parasites consumed in raw or undercooked fish can present a health hazard in humans.  Most of these parasites cause mild to moderate illness such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, but more serious problems such as central nervous system and organ damage can occur.  For that reason, the Food Code requires freezing for parasite destruction in fish that are to be consumed raw or undercooked. 

What are the Food Code requirements for parasite destruction?
The Food Code requires fish that are to be consumed, raw, raw-marinated, partially cooked, or marinated partially-cooked be frozen, for parasite destruction. 

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Safe and Sustainable Florida Seafood

By Eric Schwaab

Blessed with the nation’s second longest coastline, Florida’s recreational and commercial fishing businesses are important economic drivers, not only for the state, but for the national economy. These activities benefit residents and visitors alike, supporting Florida’s $57 billion hospitality industry.

Not only is Florida home to the nation’s largest recreational saltwater angling community, commercially-caught seafood from Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic waters is also an iconic draw to the state’s many fine restaurants.

Together, Florida commercial and recreational fishing represent a significant part of the $72 billion generated and 1.9 million full and part time fishing industry jobs supported annually across the country.
At NOAA Fisheries, we work to rebuild and sustain the nation’s fisheries and the jobs that depend on them by promoting management approaches that will achieve both sustainable fisheries and vibrant coastal communities.

For the Gulf of Mexico, last year’s BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill had a significant impact on both recreational and commercial fishing industries.

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