Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety from Farm to Table

22

MIDDLE LEVEL

RESOURCES

• 

Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide (See the following 

terms — Bacteria, Cross-Contamination, Foodborne Illness, 

Four Steps to Food Safety, Fungus, Handwashing,  

Microorganism, Mold, and Pathogen.) Also see the  

4 Cs section beginning on page 52. 

• 

Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety video Module 1 — 

Understanding Bacteria 

• 

Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology, by John P. Harley,  

9th edition, McGraw-Hill: Boston, MA (2013). 

• 

Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, edited by 

John G. Holt, Ph.D., 9th edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 

Philadelphia, PA (1994).  

• 

Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, edited by 

David Boone, Richard Castenholz, and George Garrity,  

2nd edition, Volume 1, Springer Verlag, New York, NY  

(May 2001). Call 1-800-Springer (777-4643). ISBN  

#0-387-987711. Springer website: www.springer-ny.com. 

• 

Websites: 

The Microbe Zoo: Digital Learning Center for Microbial  

Ecology at Michigan State University/Comm Tech Lab:  

www.commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/ 

What are Germs?/Kids Health:  

http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/germs.html  

Why Do I Need to Wash My Hands?/Kids Health: 

http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/wash_hands.html  

MODULE 1:

 UNDERSTANDING BACTERIA

BACTERIA EVERYWHERE

UP NEXT

The worst. The baddest of the bad! The 12 Most 

Unwanted Bacteria. Discover what foodborne 

illnesses they cause and how to control them. 

Bacteria are everywhere and can spread from surface to surface, 

surface to person, person to person, food to food, and person to 

food. Harmful bacteria can be controlled by practicing the 4 Cs 

of Food Safety. To prevent the spread of harmful bacteria, proper 

cleaning of both surfaces and hands is especially important. The 

good thing is that not all bacteria are harmful; in fact, most  

bacteria are beneficial to us.

 

When designing labs, you should always use safe techniques when 

working with bacteria. Also, it’s important to have a control dish. 

 

SUMMARY