History of Ethnic Foods in USA

In recent years, a dramatic increase in the demand for ethnic foods in the United States has been observed. Despite a more than 200-year history of ethnic foods in the USA, there is a paucity of information about them. A paper published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety provides an overview of ethnic foods, including the history, types, popularity, characteristics, ingredients, and consumer attitudes toward them.

Interestingly, with the rise in popularity of ethnic foods, more foodborne illness outbreaks associated with ethnic foods have also been reported. There is a lack of research on food safety issues involving ethnic foods. This review provides an analysis of the statistics of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with ethnic foods based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This review examines the number of total outbreaks, the causative microorganisms, the food vectors, and the locations where foodborne disease outbreaks have occurred. Also covered is a review of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system implementation, food safety training, and inspection score systems related to ethnic foods and how these can serve as effective tools for the prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks.

Reference

Lee, JH, Hwang, J and Mustapha, A (2014) Popular Ethnic Foods in the United States: A Historical and Safety Perspective. Compreh. Rev. Food Sci. Food Saf. 13(1): 2–17.