Food Safety Tips

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 1 in 6 Americans (48 million people) get sick each year due to foodborne diseases. Foodborne diseases are caused by food or beverages containing harmful bacteria, parasites, chemicals, or viruses. Foodborne diseases can easily be prevented at home by following these simple steps to ensure food safety.

Wash

You can’t see, smell, or feel them but they’re still there. Silent enemies that attack when you least expect them to. Harmful bacteria can easily spread round your kitchen and survive in a multitude of places including your kitchen, utensils, cutting boards, hands and countertops. Your goal is to prevent these bacteria from getting into your food. You can do this by:

·        Washing your hands at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after handling food

·       Washing dishes, utensils, and cooking surfaces with warm water and soap before preparing food and after each use

·       Rinse fruits and vegetables well before consuming

·       Use paper towels instead of wash cloths in order to prevent bacteria from spreading 

Separate

Cross-contamination is a surefire way to spread bacteria. Cross-contamination happens when raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs come in contact with ready-to-eat foods. To prevent cross-contamination:

·       Use different cutting boards, utensils, and plates when handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs

·       When shopping for groceries, make sure to keep raw meat poultry seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods in the shopping cart

·       Refrigerate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separately from ready-to-eat foods

·        Don’t place cooked food on an unwashed plate that you previously put raw meat on

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Cook

Make sure food is safely cooked by having reached a sufficiently high temperature to kill the toxic bacteria responsible for causing foodborne disease. Many people assume that they now when food has been thoroughly cooked by smell, texture or color but you cannot be completely sure it’s safe to eat without following these guidelines:

 ·       Food thermometers are the only surefire way of knowing whether food has been safely cooked to a safe internal temperature

 ·       Roasts and steaks should be cooked to a minimum of 145°F

 ·       Fish should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F

 ·       Poultry should be cooked to a minimum of 165°F

 ·       Ground meat should be cooked to a minimum of 160°F

 ·       Eggs should be thoroughly cooked until the yolk and white are solid and not runny

Refrigerate

Refrigerating foods slows the growth of harmful and toxic bacteria. Keep a refrigerator temperature of 40°F or below to reduce the risk of foodborne disease. Follow these simple refrigeration tips to prevent foodborne illness:

·       Refrigerate all raw meat, poultry, eggs, and other perishables within two hours

·       Never leave food out to thaw at room temperature. You can defrost food in the refrigerator, cold water, or microwave. Immediately cook foods thawed in the microwave or cold water

·       Only marinate food in the refrigerator, never on countertops

By following these simple but important guidelines for food safety, you and your family will be better protected against foodborne diseases. Whenever you eat out at a restaurant, make sure it is certified in safe food handling. Don’t put your health at risk by eating in a restaurant not experienced in safe food handling.

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