Food and Human Nutrition for Secondary Schools – Full Notes
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FORM ONE
FORM TWO
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Biological contamination refers to food that is contaminated by organisms or substances they produce. This includes biological matter produced by humans, rodents, insects, and microorganisms.
Bacteria and viruses are typically the two biggest causes of biological contamination and can result in some of the most common types of food poisoning including Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and norovirus.
Physical contamination is when a foreign object contaminates food. This can happen at any stage of the production process and could include Band-Aids, steel wool, or pieces of plastic.
Physical contamination can cause injury to an individual who inadvertently consumes the foreign object. The added risk associated with physical contamination is that the foreign object could be carrying biological contamination.
Chemical contamination refers to food that has been contaminated with a natural or artificial chemical substance. These contaminants are particularly dangerous as they expose people to any number of toxic substances, some of which can be fatal.
FV are an essential source of nutrients and vitamins that are vital to health and growth, such as potassium, folate, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and many phytochemicals.21-22 For this reason, caregivers are recommended to offer FV when complementary foods are introduced to a milk-based diet.23 Repeated exposure to FV during infancy has been associated with better acceptance and improved intake later in childhood.17,24-28 A prospective longitudinal study from England with 7,821 participants showed that exposure to home-prepared FV during the early stages of complementary feeding was positively associated with increased frequency and variety of intake of these foods later in life at age 7.29 Similarly, data from another longitudinal study carried out in the US with 1,542 participants found that infrequent consumption of FV during the first year of life was associated with low FV intake at 6 years of age.
23 Despite our understanding of the benefits of consuming FV during this critical window, several studies have shown that at the population-level, FV intake during the complementary feeding period remains low.23,30-31 Instead, FV are replaced with high energy, nutrient-poor, and processed items such as sweet foods and sugary drinks.23,30-31 This is not only associated with negative consequences on short and long-term health and nutrition outcomes, as low FV intake is a major risk factor for micronutrient deficiencies, mortality, and chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancers, and type-2 diabetes),32 but may also reduce the acceptance of these foods and negatively influence eating behaviors later in life.
