CNAS Research & Extension

  • Home
    • College Leadership & History
    • Land Grants and CNAS
  • People
  • Expertise
    • Aquaculture
      • Shrimp Genetics
    • Entomology
      • Guam Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Project
      • Honey Bees
      • Invasive Insects
      • Insect Fact Sheets
      • Little Fire Ant
      • List of Insects and Mites Attacking Crops in Micronesia
    • Food Safety
    • Horticulture
      • Guam Plant Extinction Prevention Program
    • Plant Pathology
      • Plant Disease Diagnostic Manual
      • Index of Plant Diseases In Guam
      • Pests & Pathogens
    • Plant Physiology
      • Forest Leaf Litter Nutrient Dynamics
    • Soils
      • Soil Analysis
      • Soil Projects
      • Regulations Regarding Importation of Soil into Guam
    • Turf
      • Green Roof Workshop
      • Turf Tips
  • Research
    • Western Pacific Tropical Research Center
      • Research Faculty
      • Research Stations
      • Fadian Hatchery
      • WPTRC News
      • Impact Reports
      • E-Books
  • Extension
    • Cooperative Extension & Outreach
      • Cooperative Extension & Outreach Impact Reports
    • Extension & Outreach News
    • Contact CE&O
    • Diagnostic & Identification Services
    • Programs Areas
      • 4-H Program
      • Agriculture & Natural Resources
      • Consumer & Family Sciences
      • Community Development
        • Knowledge@Guam Initiative (KGI)
      • Guam Gene-ius
    • Projects
    • Soil and Water Conservation Districts
    • Extension & Outreach Workshops
  • Publications
    • Journal Articles
    • Popular Publications & Posters
    • Documents & Posters
    • Other Publications
    • Annual Reports
    • Ebooks
    • Micronesica Journal
  • CNAS News
    • CNAS News & Announcements
    • CNAS Events & Workshops Calendar
    • Extension & Outreach News
    • Western Pacific Tropical Research Center News
    • Media Focus on CNAS
  • Videos
  • Data Base
    • CNAS Projects
    • Employees
    • Service Providers
    • Documents & Posters
    • Plants of Guam [Botanical]
    • Soils of Guam
    • Weeds of Guam
You are here: Home / Expertise / Food Safety

Food Safety

Contact Information: 
Dr. Jian Yang
Agriculture & Life Sciences Building, Room 113B
University of Guam 
UOG Station 
Mangilao, Guam 96923 
Email: jyang@triton.uog.edu
Phone: 671-735-2027 
Fax: 671-734-4600
Publications

Food safety is an action of applying scientific principles in handling, preparation, and storage of food to prevent foodborne illness.  Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from foods that people have eaten.  The hazards causing foodborne illness are bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins from bacteria, plants, animals, or environment.  The symptoms of foodborne illness are nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache, or tiredness.  Foodborne illness can result in permanent health consequence such as kidney failure or even death, especially to high risk populations, which are children, elderly people, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.

Foodborne Illness on Guam

Based on the data from the Guam Public Health and Social Services (GPHSS), the cases of foodborne illness occurred on Guam are estimated between 13,000 and 152,000 each year.  The economic cost is estimated from $5.1 to 42.6 million per year. About sixty percentage of foodborne illness on Guam occurs in provide homes. The frequency of foodborne illness on Guam is higher than that in the states.  In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate 76 million cases of foodborne illness per year, resulting in 325,000 hospitalization and 5,000 deaths. 

Consumer Food Safety Education

Foodborne illness is preventable. Our food safety program provides food safety education to general consumers, focusing on food safety principles and five key food handling practices:

  • Practicing good personal hygiene
  • Cook food adequately
  • Avoid cross contamination
  • Keep food at safe temperatures
  • Avoiding risky foods

Kelaguen Safety

Kelaugen is unique and delicious Chamorro dish by mixing meat with lemon, onions, hot peppers, and grated coconuts.  Unfortunately, kelaguen is identified by GPHSS as one of leading vehicles causing foodborne illness on Guam.  The cases of foodborne illness associated with kelaguen are estimated over 1,000 per year.  Chicken, fish, and shrimp kelaguen each accounted for about 30% of outbreaks and cases of kelaguen foodborne illnesses.  Chicken kelaguen results in the number of foodborne illness about 4-6 times higher than that from shrimp and fish kelaguen. About eighty three percentage of kelaguen boodborne illness is from private homes. 

Our food safety program provides a special food safety education on kelaguen to general consumers, food workers, and food safety educators focusing on pathogen control and recommendations of using lemon in kelaguen preparation.  

Home Food Preservation

Home food preservation program is to provide various processing technology to farmers, entrepreneurs, and general consumers to safely process food at homes.  The home food processing education includes canning, pickling, drying, freezing, sausage making, and fruit juicing processing. 

Workshops and Training

  • Consumer general food safety
  • Safe kelaguen preparation
  • Food safety during and after Typhoon
  • Home food processing

CE&O COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Contact Us
CNAS Classroom & Conference Room Calendars
      • ALS Building Rooms
          • Request to reserve a room in ALS
      • Math Building Rooms
      • Science Building Rooms
      • Yigo Research & Education Center
          • Request to reserve room at Yigo

CNAS Academic Programs
UOG IT and Plant Maintenance HelpDesks
UOG's Main Website
Extension & Outreach Workshops
Guam Walking/Running Maps
Visit the University of Guam Homepage. Log in