One of the most important elements of nutrition is food safety. Regardless of how healthy a food may be, if it contains pathogens, or disease-causing organisms, the food will not be safe to eat.
With the spike in rat lungworm cases on Maui, residents are becoming more aware of the need for safe food handling practices.
These practices are important for all ages, but some groups are more at risk for food-borne illnesses. These include older adults, those with chronic health conditions or compromised immune systems, and young children whose immune systems are still developing.
Standard food safety procedures decrease the risk of illness from food-borne pathogens for all populations, regardless of age or health conditions. These procedures are: clean, separate, cook and chill.
Clean. Wash hands for 20 seconds with soap and clean, running water. Wash surfaces and utensils after each use. Wash fruits and vegetables with clean, running water. Even if you peel or cut the skin before eating, wash first. If pathogens are on the peel, as soon as the knife or peeler cuts through the peel and into the flesh, the pathogens on the outside are introduced to the inside. Wash pineapples, watermelons, oranges, cucumbers, onions and all other produce prior to peeling or slicing.
Proper cleaning is a crucial step in reducing the risk of rat lungworm disease. The snails and semi slugs that carry the disease-causing pathogens can be very small, so leafy greens should be washed leaf by leaf.
With all produce — not just leafy greens — create friction between your hands and the produce under the running water to reduce or eliminate not only tiny snails and slugs, but also the traces of slime they leave behind.
Separate. Keep raw meat and ready-to-eat foods or foods that will not be cooked prior to eating such as fruits and vegetables separate while grocery shopping, during preparation and in the refrigerator. Watch this video to learn more about keeping foods safe by separating them www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm_X5LJmrbw.
Cook. Use a food thermometer when cooking, cook foods and leftovers to the proper internal temperature, and keep foods hot after cooking.
Cooking is one way of reducing rat lungworm pathogens. While leafy greens are commonly eaten fresh, spinach and other greens can be cooked in soups and stews, casseroles and other dishes to decrease the risk of pathogens. But remember that even if you will be cooking the produce, the first food safety procedure is always proper washing. To minimize risk, foods should reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
Chill. Food spends time in the temperature danger zone, 40 to 140 degrees, during food preparation and early cooking and when it is being cooled or frozen for storage. Decreasing the cooling stage increases the safety of food. Refrigerate foods within two hours, freeze properly, and never thaw foods or marinate on the counter or at room temperature.
Maui District Health Officer Dr. Lorrin Pang reported that freezing is another strategy in reducing the risk of rat lungworm disease. Those who enjoy green smoothies and who are concerned about using fresh greens can properly wash, freeze for a minimum of 48 hours, and then use those frozen greens in future smoothies.
Additional rat lungworm safety procedures
For gardeners, food safety begins not in the kitchen but in the garden. University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources recommends a few management practices that reduce snail and slug populations and create barriers. Following are a few tips taken from CTAHR’s “Best On-Farm Food Safety Practices” publication available online and listed at the end of this article.
• Control rats by removing food sources, living places and implementing a rodent control program.
• Control slugs and snails by eliminating moist hiding places in the garden area and utilize lures and bait traps.
• Create slug and snail barriers using repellents such as copper mesh, tape or flashing.
• Eliminate bare-hand contact with snails and slugs and wash hands regularly.
Contact the Master Gardener Helpdesk in the UH-CTAHR for further information on controlling rats, snails and slugs in your garden and on your property. Helpdesk hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional resources on rat lungworm are available online at the following locations.
State of Hawaii Department of Health:
What is Rat Lungworm Disease?: health.hawaii.gov/docd/files/2017/03/rat-lungworm-flier.pdf.
Rodents: Rats & Mice: health.hawaii.gov/docd/files/2017/03/rodent-control-foldout-brochure.pdf.
Angiostrongyliasis (Rat Lungworm): health.hawaii.gov/docd/files/2015/12/angio-fact-sheet-20151211.pdf.
University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources:
Avoid Contracting Angiostrongyliasis (Rat Lungworm Infection): Wash Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Before Eating: www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FST-35.pdf.
CTAHR Farm Food Safety: Good Agricultural Practices: manoa.hawaii.edu/ctahr/farmfoodsafety/rat-lungworm.
Best On-Farm Food Safety Practices: Reducing Risks Associated with Rat Lungworm and Human Eosingohilic Meningitis: www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/FST-39.pdf.
University of Hawaii at Hilo, College of Pharmacy:
Rat Lungworm FAQ: pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu/rlw/faq.php.
Rat Lungworm overview: pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu/rlw/overview.php.
Rat Lungworm home page: pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu/rlw/.
Keep you and your family safe through good food safety practices.
* Heather Greenwood-Junkermeier is with the University of Hawaii Manoa Cooperative Extension and contributes the monthly “Aging Matters” column. Today’s column was co-written with extension educators Kylie Wong, Sustainable and Organic Agriculture; Dr. Cynthia Nazario-Leary, Horticulture; and Lynn Nakamura-Tengan, Food Safety. “Aging Matters” covers topics of interest to the aging Maui community and appears on the third Sunday of each month.
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