Foodsavers & Botulism

FryBoy

New member
I was watching David Venable's In the Kitchen with David show on QVC this morning -- I think he's QVC's best host, along with Lisa Robertson (she could sell me suntan lotion if I were stranded on an iceberg). But I digress....

David had on a fellow who was hawking a Foodsaver vacuum food storage system, something my wife and I have considered on and off for about 20 years but never purchased (there are only two of us now, and we don't have a large freezer). It occurred to me that there could be a problem with possible contamination of certain foods due to the absence of oxygen, something I've never heard the seller mention. So I Googled "foodsaver botulism" and sure enough, there is a problem users of these devices need to be aware of. Fortunately, the problem is apparently rare and easy to avoid if you understand what causes it.

Here's a quote from an article on another vacuum food packaging system that appeared in the Chicago Tribune a couple of years ago:
A few words about food safety

The very thing that keeps vacuum-sealed foods fresh longer can also create the perfect environment for botulism.

Botulism, produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, thrives in anaerobic, or oxygen-free, environments. Because vacuum sealing removes air, it sets up anaerobic conditions.

Botulism is so toxic that just a couple of nanograms of toxin can sicken or kill. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta report an average of 27 cases of food-borne botulism each year (the rest of the 110 cases each year are either infant or wound botulism). Symptoms of the disease, which usually manifests itself within 36 hours, include weakness, dizziness, double vision and progressive trouble in speaking and swallowing.

That's the bad news. The good news is it's easy to prevent botulism in vacuum-sealed foods.

First, remember that vacuum-sealing doesn't replace traditional food-preservation techniques. Shelf-stable dry foods, like crackers and cereal, pose no threat. But vacuum-sealed low-acid foods like fruits, vegetables and meats should still be refrigerated or frozen.

"It's critically important to protect the temperature--keep it under 40 degrees," said Michael Doyle of the Center for Food Safety in Griffin, Ga. "We still have to use good food-handling practices, so hot foods should be hot and cold foods should be cold. Keep the food under 40 degrees, or heat it to more than 140 degrees."

To be completely safe, heat foods to 180 degrees for 10 minutes or longer to be sure all botulism bacteria are killed.

Second, never thaw frozen vacuum-sealed foods at room temperature. "As long as you keep the temperature down, you'll prevent the germination and growth of spores," said Barry Swanson, a professor of food science and nutrition at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. "You have to store in the freezer, and thaw in the refrigerator." Swanson said to cut the vacuum-sealed bag open before thawing to let in air, which prevents botulism from growing.
Here's a link to the whole article: http://www.pump-n-seal.com/chicagotribune.html

BTW, botulism may be more common in the U.S. than indicated by the CDC statistics might indicate. Those numbers reflect only confirmed cases (i.e., by laboratory analysis) that are reported.
 
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