unsafe foods and food-born disease

As a new mother I am constantly worried about potentially unsafe foods and food-born illinesses. After talking to my child’s pediatrician and reviewing the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines here are a few recommendations to help keep you and your little one(s) safe and healthy.

Recommendations:

To prevent botulism, do not use honey in the feeding of infants under 1 year of age.

 To prevent salmonella poisoning, cook all eggs well and do not use products containing raw eggs also be aware of any recalls in the media that are intended to alert consumers to

 Hard, small and round, smooth and sticky solid foods are not recommended because they may cause choking and aspiration.

Ensure that infants and toddlers are always supervised during feeding.

 Avoid feeding an infant using a "propped" bottle.

 Infant botulism. Honey is a risk factor for infant botulism and, to date, is the only food directly implicated in infant botulism. The USDA and the AAP recommends that honey should not be fed to children less than 12 months of age.

Unlike that for honey, the evidence for corn syrup as a risk factor for infant botulism is tenuous. A 2-year case control study indicated that ingestion of corn syrup may be a risk factor for infant botulism (Spika et al., 1989). However, an epidemiological study in California did not find a correlation between corn syrup consumption and infant botulism (Arnon et al., 1994).

Corn syrup has never been directly implicated in a case of infant botulism(Olsen and Swardlow, 2000). Corn syrup solids or corn syrup are used in infant formulas. The heat processing that liquid infant formulas undergo would destroy any C. botulinum spores; moreover, no infant formula has ever been implicated in infant botulism. The conflicting evidence implicating corn syrup in infant botulism is not strong enough to classify corn syrup as a risk factor and, as such, it is not recommend against feeding corn syrup to infants.

Salmonellosis. Salmonella bacteria can occasionally be transmitted from infected hens directly into the eggs before the shells are formed. Also, cracks in egg shells can allow transfer of salmonella from the shell surface to the egg contents. Eggs contaminated with salmonella bacteria may cause salmonellosis. Avoid raw eggs and foods containing raw eggs to prevent salmonellosis.

Choking and aspiration. The risk of choking can be lowered when caregivers are aware of their toddlers' chewing and swallowing abilities, supervise infants while eating, avoid offering foods with the potential to cause choking, and know how to handle choking if it occurs.

Supervision. The use of a "propped bottle" to feed an unattended infant is not recommended because of the danger of choking or aspirating as the flow of milk into the mouth may be too rapid. Supervision includes the infant sitting upright while eating, and not lying down, walking, running or being distracted from the task of safe eating. Eating in the car is considered unsafe since if choking should occur, it is difficult to pull over to the side of the road safely. In addition, there is the increased risk of choking if the car stops suddenly.

Unsafe foods. Hard, small and round, smooth and sticky solid foods can block a young child's airway. The following foods are not safe for infants and children under 4 years of age: popcorn, hard candies, gum, cough drops, hot dogs, raisins, peanuts or other nuts, sunflower seeds, fish with bones, and snacks using toothpicks or skewers. The following foods are safer for infants and young children when they are prepared as described: grated raw carrots or hard fruit pieces, fruits with pits removed, chopped grapes, and peanut butter spread thinly on crackers or bread. Peanut butter served alone, or on a spoon, is potentially unsafe because it can stick in the palate or posterior pharynx leading to asphyxia.