Winter Olympics Food Safety Experts At Work To Prevent Outbreaks
The international profile of food safety could get a boost in the 2010 Winter Olympics in British Columbia if more media outlets pick up on the strident efforts of the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to prevent any outbreaks of food poisoning.
The regional newspaper The Province reports this week on NASA technology that is being adapted to monitor refrigerator temperatures in key venues, including villages that will house athletes. Two years ago at the Beijing Olympic Games, several members of the U.S. Olympic team were sickened by food-borne illness in China just days before they were due to compete.The prevention effort for the upcoming Winter Games is based on knowledge that food stored above 40 degrees F is at increased risk for contamination by E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens. The system being installed will use remote sensors that stream refrigerator temperatures to a central data bank, issuing alerts when something is amiss.
"The system will certainly detect common bad practices, such as walk-in refrigerator doors that are blocked open to receive large food deliveries. But it will also root out problems that are harder to detect such as bad seals, failing compressors and faulty thermometers,'' The Province reported.
Regional health protection officer Nick Losito told the newspaper that the health authority has worked with the Vancouver Olympic Organizing committee for two years to create a food safety plan that will be followed by all Olympic vendors.
- VCH will employ 75 field officers equipped with WiFi electronic tablets during the Games to provide 18-hour-a-day testing of food service facilities.
- Two intensive sweeps are planned, one for the week prior to the Games opening and another partway through.
- Stepped up enforcement for non-Games restaurants have been underway for seven months.
