Flickr Group - M.O.L.D.

Insecticons Food Additives Song

M.O.L.D.

M.O.L.D. Bioindicator Concept Image

Bioindicators are species used to monitor the health of an environment or ecosystem. They are any biological species or group of species whose function, population, or status can be used to determine ecosystem or environmental integrity. An example of such a group are the copepods and other small water crustaceans present in many water bodies. Such organisms are monitored for changes (biochemical, physiological, or behavioural) that may indicate a problem within their ecosystem. Bioindicators can tell us about the cumulative effects of different pollutants in the ecosystem and about how long a problem may have been present, which physical and chemical testing cannot.

A Toxic and Hazardous Problem

Aging Strawberries

Penicillium Mold Growth

The Green Slime (1969)

I am Legend, 2007

The Last Man on Earth, 1965

Mold Problems after Flooding 1997 EPA

Food Safety: A Team Approach

Food Safety: A Team Approach

The United States maintains one of the world's safest food supplies, thanks in large part to an interlocking monitoring system that watches over food production and distribution at every level-locally, statewide and nationally.

Continual monitoring is provided by food inspectors, microbiologists, epidemiologists, and other food scientists working for city and county health departments, state public health agencies, and various federal departments and agencies. Their precise duties are dictated by local, state and national laws, guidelines and other directives. Some monitor only one kind of food, such as milk or seafood. Others work strictly within a specified geographic area. Others are responsible for only one type of food establishment, such as restaurants or meat-packing plants. Together they make up the U.S. food safety team.

The Clinton administration's Food Safety Initiative, begun in 1997, strengthens the efforts of all the members of the nation's food safety team in the fight against food-borne illness, which afflicts between 6.5 million and 33 million Americans every year. One of the initiative's major programs got under way in May 1998 when the Department of Health and Human Services (which includes FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency signed a memorandum of understanding to create a Food Outbreak Response Coordinating Group, or FORC-G. The new group will:
increase coordination and communication among federal, state and local food safety agencies
guide efficient use of resources and expertise during an outbreak
prepare for new and emerging threats to the U.S. food supply.
Besides federal officials, members of FORC-G include the Association of Food and Drug Officials, National Association of City and County Health Officials, Association of State and Territorial Public Health Laboratory Directors, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

The following table offers a closer look at the nation's food safety lineup. The agencies listed in the table also work with other government agencies, such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission to enforce the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, the FBI to enforce the Federal Anti-Tampering Act, the Department of Transportation to enforce the Sanitary Food Transportation Act, and the U.S. Postal Service to enforce laws against mail fraud.

more here

The Food Safety Network

view links here.

The Food Safety Network

Many federal, state, and local agencies work together to monitor food safety. The responsibilities of each of the agencies are described in Food Safety: A Team Approach and in the U.S. Food Safety System Country Report.

Federal Government Agencies

Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
Economic Research Service
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Food Safety Information Center (NAL)
Food and Nutritional Service WIC Program
Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Center for Veterinary Medicine
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases
Environmental Health Services
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Assessment
Office of Pesticide Programs
Office of Water
For additional federal agencies, see Food Safety: A Team Approach.

Federal Government/Private Sector Partnerships

National Food Safety Education Month
Partnership for Food Safety Education (Fight BAC!)
State and Local Government Agencies

Overall Listing of State, County, and Territory Agencies
State and Territorial Health Agencies
State, County, and City Government Consumer Protection Offices
State Health Agencies
State Departments of Public Health and Agriculture

Alabama
Food Safety Program, Department of Public Health

Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation

Arizona
Food Safety and Environmental Services, Department of Health Services
Maricopa County Environmental Health Services Division

Arkansas
Department of Health

California
Department of Food and Agriculture
Department of Health Services - Food Safety Program
Kings County Division of Environmental Health Services
Seafood Network Information Program

Colorado
Consumer Protection Division
Colorado Cooperative Extension Service Food and Nutrition Online

Connecticut
Bureau of Aquaculture & Laboratory Services
Department of Consumer Protection, Food and Standards Division
Department of Public Health, Food Protection Program
Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service

Delaware
Food Safety (Health and Social Services)
Delaware Dept. of Agriculture Food Products Inspection

District of Columbia
Bureau of Food, Drug, and Radiation Protection

Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Food Safety
Department of Business and Professional Regulations, Division of Hotels and Restaurants
Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health, Food Hygiene Program

Georgia
Department of Agriculture, Consumer Protection - Food Safety
Georgia Cooperative Extension, University of Georgia, Food Safety Publications
Division of Public Health, Environmental Health (See Programs - Food Service)

Hawaii
Environmental Health Administration Food and Drug Branch

Idaho
Department of Health & Welfare, Food Protection Program

Illinois
Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies

Indiana
Indiana Cooperative Extension Service: Foods and Nutrition
Department of Health, Food Protection Program
Marion County Health Department, Foodborne Disease Prevention

Iowa
Department of Inspections and Appeals, Food and Consumer Safety
Iowa Cooperative Extension Service Food Safety Project

Kansas
Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety
Department of Health and Environment
Kansas Cooperative Extension Service

Kentucky
Department for Publich Health, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Food Safety,

Louisiana
Center for Environmental Health, Sanitarian Services, Food and Drug Program
Office of Public Health

Maine
Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, Quality Assurance and Regulations

Maryland
Division of Food Control, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Massachusetts
Department of Public Health Food Protection Program
Massachusetts Cooperative Extension Service Food Safety Program

Michigan
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety
Michigan Cooperative Extension

Minnesota
Minnesota Cooperative Extension Service
Minnesota Food Safety Center (MN Department of Health)
Department of Health Food Supply Safety and Security

Mississippi
Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service Food Safety
Mississippi Department of Health

Montana
Department of Public Health and Human Services Food and Consumer Safety

New Hampshire
Watershed Management Bureau Shellfish Program

New Jersey
Department of Health and Senior Services, Food and Milk Program

New York
Department of Health Food Handling, Preparation, and Storage

North Carolina
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Food Safety Information Retrieval System

North Dakota
North Dakota Cooperative Extension Service Food, Food Safety and Nutrition Website
North Dakota Cooperative Extension Service Food Safety and Substitutions

Ohio
Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety

Oregon
Department of Human Services, Environmental Health, Food Safety

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Bureau of Food Safety

Rhode Island
Department of Health Office of Food Protection
Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Food Safety Education Site

South Dakota
Department of Health (South Dakota)

Texas
Environmental and Consumer Safety Section
Food Inspection and Safety (Consumer Health) (Houston Department of Health and Human Services)

Utah
Department of Agriculture and Food

Virginia
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Food Safety Programs

Washington
Seattle-King County Department of Public Health
Washington Cooperative Extension Consumer Food Safety Resource Page
Department of Health Food Safety and Shellfish Programs

Wyoming
Consumer Health Services, Department of Agriculture
International Agencies

Egon Spengler, Ph.D

Hobbies include collecting "spores, molds, and fungus"

Anti-Mold Agents

Anti-Mold Agents

Function
Anti-mold agents are added to food to kill or inhibit the growth of mold. Typically anti-mold agents work by either coating food particles with a substance that inhibits or kills mold in the cell wall, or by the use of bacterial agents that consume mold for food.

Common Anti-Mold Agents
Natamycin
Calcium Acetate
Calcium Propionate
Potassium Propionate
Sodium Diacetate

Common Foods
Baked goods, meats, dairy, sweets, processed foods

Mold Colonies #1 (Breads)

Host Info
Host 1: Ralphs Brand Baguette - Plain International Classics
Host 2: Sara Lee Classic White - Soft & Smooth
Host 3: Ralphs Brand Wheat Bread
Host 4: Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Bread
Host 5: San Francisco Style Sour Dough

Host Variables
Dry
Added Water
Light
Darkness

Preservatives

image via accessexcellence.org

Preservatives

It is said that except the food grown in your own garden, all food products have preservatives. Every manufacturer adds preservative to the food during processing. The purpose is generally to avoid spoilage during the transportation time.

Because food is so important to survival, food preservation is one of the oldest technologies used by human beings. Different ways and means have been found and improved for the purpose. Boiling, freezing & refrigeration, pasteurizing, dehydrating, pickling are the traditional few. Sugar and salt are also often used as preservatives. Nuclear radiation is also being used now. Modified packaging techniques like vacuum packing and hypobaric packing also work as preservatives.

Chemical preservatives are also being used for quite some time now. They seem to be the best and the most effective for a longer shelf life and are generally fool proof for the preservation purpose.

+ Benzoates (such as sodium benzoate, benzoic acid)
+ Nitrites (such as sodium nitrite)
+ Sulphites (such as sulphur dioxide),
+ Sorbates (such as sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate

All of these chemicals act as either antimicrobials or antioxidants or both. They either inhibit the activity of or kill the bacteria, molds, insects and other microorganisms. Antimicrobials, prevent the growth of molds, yeasts and bacteria and antioxidants keep foods from becoming rancid or developing black spots. They suppress the reaction when foods comes in contact with oxygen, heat, and some metals. They also prevent the loss of some essential amino acids some vitamins.



There are other antioxidants like Sodium Erythorbate, Erythorbic Acid, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Succinate, Grape Seed Extract, Pine Bark Extract, Apple Extract Tea Proplyphenols, Succinic Acid and Ascorbic Acid and preservatives like Parabens and Sodium Dehydro Acetate used frequently for preservation.

via foodadditivesworld.com

Combat Thieves With Fake Mold

via Wired

How Should You Handle Food with Mold on It?

image via tailgateideas

How Should You Handle Food with Mold on It?
Buying small amounts and using food quickly can help prevent mold growth. But when you see moldy food: Don’t sniff the moldy item. This can cause respiratory trouble. If food is covered with mold, discard it. Put it into a small paper bag or wrap it in plastic and dispose in a covered trash can that children and animals can’t get into. Clean the refrigerator or pantry at the spot where the food was stored. Check nearby items the moldy food might have touched. Mold spreads quickly in fruits and vegetables. See the attached chart “Moldy Food: When to Use, When to Discard.”

via USDA

Must Homemade Shelf-Stable Preserves be Water-Bath Processed?

image via mim's blog

Must Homemade Shelf-Stable Preserves be Water-Bath Processed?
Yes, molds can thrive in high-acid foods like jams, jellies, pickles, fruit, and tomatoes. But these microscopic fungi are easily destroyed by heat processing high-acid foods at a temperature of 212 °F in a boiling water canner for the recommended length of time. For more information about processing home-canned foods, go to the National Center for Home Food Preservation at: www.uga.edu/nchfp/.

via USDA

Don’t Buy Moldy Foods

image via food mag

Don’t Buy Moldy Foods
Examine food well before you buy it. Check food in glass jars, look at the stem areas on fresh produce, and avoid bruised produce. Notify the store manager about mold on foods!

Fresh meat and poultry are usually mold free, but cured and cooked meats may not be. Examine them carefully. Exceptions: Some salamis -- San Francisco, Italian, and Eastern European types -- have a characteristic thin, white mold coating which is safe to consume; however, they shouldn’t show any other mold. Dry-cured country hams normally have surface mold that must be scrubbed off before cooking.

via USDA