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

35

MIDDLE LEVEL

UP NEXT

Ever heard of methylene blue? Well, it’s a clue to a 

very important concept in pasteurization technology. 

You’ll discover the clue in the next lab as you, along 

with Dr. X and Tracy, explore Processing — the  

next step along the Farm-to-Table Continuum. 

RESOURCES

• 

Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide (See the 

following terms — Bacteria, Competitive Exclusion, 

Composting, Contamination, Cross-Contamination, 

Escherichia coli O157:H7, Farm-to-Table Continuum, 

Farm-to-Table Initiative, Foodborne Illness, Food Safety, 

Pathogen, and Salmonella.) 

• 

Also see the Farm-to-Table illustration (page 51) and 

the 4 Cs section (pages 52-57). 

• 

Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety video  

Module 2 – Farm 

• 

Website: 

Economic Research Service/USDA:  

www.ers.usda.gov

EXTENSIONS

• 

Visit the Economic Research Service website at  

www.ers.usda.gov, find your favorite food, and see  

how many different countries it comes from. Or, select  

a country and see how many foods we get from that 

country. 

• 

Using the website above, look on a map and calculate how 

many miles your favorite food traveled from one of the 

countries to your state. For example, how many miles did 

the banana travel from where it was grown to your state? 

• 

Relate your pathogen to this lab and record the  

information in your food safety portfolio.