Alright, class, time for another lesson in food safety and the federal government. We all know that the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for ensuring the safety of our meat, poultry and eggs, and that other sections within the USDA are also hard at work protecting some other food sources. And we also know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) checks on our food too: veggies, dairy, seafood and processed products. But here’s a question to test your food safety knowledge: do you know how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fits into this equation?

The CDC is a public health agency that works to equip humans with the necessary tools to protect their health. They investigate all types of diseases and work on many different types of disease prevention and control, including foodborne diseases, like salmonella, and diseases that aren’t transmitted through our food, like influenza. While the CDC doesn’t regulate our food supply, it does work closely with the USDA and the FDA to interpret data collected from state and local public health authorities and it investigates foodborne related outbreaks.

Like the name implies, foodborne diseases are transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food. Stomach Flu or noroviruses, for example, are spread person to person. In fact, humans are the sole reservoir for noroviruses, and noroviruses cause the vast majority of foodborne illnesses.

Additionally, hygiene and food preparation play an important role in spreading disease. People play an unintended yet significant role in the transmission of foodborne diseases through poor hygiene, such as not washing their hands properly. Improper food storage and preparation, such as not cooking meat at a high enough temperature, also contribute to foodborne illness.

Back to the CDC… The CDC’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP) developed the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) in 1995 as an important component of its foodborne disease initiative. FoodNet collaborates with the USDA, FDA and ten EIP sites across the United States to provide information that helps public officials better understand and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks.

Generally, as the result of a physician requesting lab tests on a patient, the discovery of a foodborne disease is reported by the laboratory to the state health department. After extensive investigation by the local authorities, suspected outbreaks are reported to the CDC. Because an intricate chain of events needs to occur before the CDC is notified, and because most people don’t visit a doctor for these types of mild illnesses, very few are actually reported to the CDC.

FoodNet, on the other hand, provides a quicker way for foodborne outbreaks to be detected. Reports of outbreaks are continuously being checked by public officials, instead of waiting for labs to report incidents and outbreaks. Public officials frequently contact the laboratories to inquire about new cases of foodborne illness and report them to the CDC, so they can closely monitor these events and provide more accurate estimates of the extent and effect of these outbreaks.

It's time for another Chew on This podcast -- covering, as always, important and hot topics related to food safety. This installment's topic: keeping food animals healthy.

Preventing and treating disease in livestock is crucial to keeping our meat, eggs and dairy products safe. In the latest Chew on This podcast, Dr. Christine Hoang, assistant director of the AVMA’s Scientific Activities Division, talks about the methods and treatments used to keep livestock healthy and discusses the important relationship between animal and human health.

Listen to the new podcast now.

Burgers? Check. Perfect weather? Check. Awesome new grilling utensils? Double check. Sounds like you’re ready to fire up the grill and enjoy one of our favorite summer activities. So you bring the potato salad, and your friends here at Keep Our Food Safe will bring the safe grilling tips.

Safe barbecues start on…the farm? That’s right. Food animal veterinarians work day in and day out to make sure our nation’s livestock and poultry are healthy, disease free and safe for consumption before they ever make it to the supermarket shelves.

Speaking of the supermarket – your visit there is the next ingredient for a safe, healthy barbecue. The USDA recommends purchasing your meat and poultry right before you check out. This minimizes the time the meat is unrefrigerated. And while you’re at the grocery store, make sure you separate those frozen burgers from other foods in the cart. This protects your groceries from cross contamination.

Make sure you go directly home, so you can refrigerate your food immediately. The USDA suggests you refrigerate within two hours. And on those hot days when the merc ury soars past 90 degrees? You probably should be refrigerating your food within one hour.

Before you start grilling, it’s important to make sure you properly, and thoroughly, thaw your food. Doing so will allow your food to cook more evenly. The best way is to let it thaw is in the refrigerator, or you can soak sealed packages in cold water. But if you’re in a hurry, defrost it in the microwave and make sure you immediately place it on the grill.

It’s important to remember to keep your meat and poultry refrigerated until you are ready to start grilling, and only remove it from the refrigerator if you’re going to grill right away. If you’re keeping you food in a cooler, make sure it’s in the shade and not directly underneath the sun. Similarly, keep your burgers warm until serving them. The USDA recommends at least 140 degrees or warmer.

Thoroughly cooking your food is one of the best ways to kill harmful bacteria. But don’t depend on your eyes. Looks can be deceiving. You can’t really tell if your food is finished cooking just by looking at the color and texture. In fact, according to the USDA, one out of four burgers turns brown before it reaches a safe internal temperature. That’s why they recommend using a food thermometer to make sure your food has reached the proper internal temperature and is safe to eat.

But what about those ready to eat foods, like brats, hotdogs or veggie burgers that are labeled “pre-cooked?” They still need to be treated like any other item you cook on your grill. The USDA recommends using a food thermometer to make sure they’re cooked to at least 165 degrees. This not only destroys the harmful bacteria that may already be in the food, but also any bacteria that may have been transferred from cross-contamination.

And, as always, thoroughly cleaning surfaces, utensils and your hands will kill harmful bacteria and reduce cross contamination. Wash with warm, soapy water for about 20 seconds before and after handling food. But don’t forget to rinse off your fruits and veggies with cold water too.

Just remember, keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot, and thoroughly clean and cook your food. Follow this recipe for a safe and tasty barbecue. Please pass the potato salad.

Keep Our Food Safe would like to return to the topic of NAIS. You haven’t forgotten about NAIS, have you? We’ve talked about NAIS, or the National Animal Identification System before. It’s a program run by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to track the movement of our livestock throughout the country.

As we mentioned before, the identification system serves an important purpose: slowing the spread of animal disease. By enabling a disease to be traced within a 48-hour period, NAIS will dramatically improve the United States’ response capacity to limit the spread of animal diseases. This will provide a safeguard to maintain food security and protecting our food supply by protecting animal health.

The case for NAIS is growing stronger. Recently, APHIS released the results of a cost-benefit analysis on NAIS. APHIS commissioned the study to provide economic information on NAIS to consumers and to estimate the costs and benefits of adopting the program.

The study indicated three compelling reasons for producers to adopt NAIS.

First, we can save money on disease control by being able to identify our livestock because the process will be less costly. The report indicates identification programs can reduce the time it takes to conduct disease testing, a component of our nation’s ongoing disease control and eradication efforts. Quicker, more efficient disease testing can reduce the time it takes to check animals on farms and ranches – a cost-effective way to keep our food supply safe and secure.

Secondly, animal identification systems are fast becoming prerequisites for international trade, and many countries won’t accept imports from countries without animal identification systems. If they don’t implement NAIS, producers and all those involved in exporting livestock could lose more than $1.3 billion annually due to reduced access to international markets. Because exports increase the prices paid to all producers, access to international markets affects all producers, not just those that export.

And finally, NAIS is more effective at higher participation rates, and is more cost effective at higher participation rates. The more producers who participate in NAIS, the more economically effective the program will be and there will be reduced chances of negative effects from a disease outbreak. The report indicates that little to moderate participation in animal identification systems could be a costly decision for producers to make, potentially making them less competitive in domestic and international markets.

Back in March, many officials testified before Congress on the importance of adopting a mandatory animal identification system. Representatives from the veterinary profession and food safety regulatory bodies expressed that adopting a nationwide program to track our livestock is an effective way to reduce disease outbreaks.

Dr. Ron DeHaven, American Veterinary Medical Association CEO, emphasized that NAIS is an excellent way for authorities to quickly respond to disease that may enter our nation’s food supply. By being able to quickly track sick animals, we can save millions of dollars, as well as protect human and animal lives from foodborne illnesses.

Protecting our food supply AND saving money? Sounds to me like these are good reasons to adopt NAIS.

P.S. - USDA is seeking to engage stakeholders and hear their concerns about NAIS and feasible solutions to those concerns. The information and ideas gathered will assist Secretary Vilsack in making decisions about the future direction of animal traceability in the United States. Learn more about giving feedback, including upcoming "Listening Tour" dates.