SAFEGUARDING YOUR FOOD
Every year, an estimated 7 million Americans suffer from cases
of food-born illness. Some cases are violent and even result
in death. Of course this is commonly known as "food poisoning."
The culprit is food that has dangerously high levels of bacteria
due to improper cooking or handling. Food safety is usually
taken for granted by the buying public but everyone's attention
was recently directed to food poisoning involving some meat
that was undercooked. It was determined that the problem never
would have happened if the meat had been cooked properly. E.Coli
0157.H7 is a potent virus, but it can be completely destroyed
when the meat is fully cooked. It is important for consumers
to take an all-around safety approach to purchasing, storing
and preparing both traditional and new meat and poultry products.
Ultimately, consumers and food handlers bear the responsibility
for keeping food safe once it leaves the store. According to
the US Department of Agriculture, about 85 percent of food-born
illness cases could be avoided each year if consumers would
handle food properly. The most common food-born illnesses are
caused by a combination of bacteria, naturally present in the
environment, and food handling mistakes. Ironically, these are
also the easiest types of food-born illnesses to prevent. Proper
cooking or processing of raw meat and poultry kills bacteria
that can cause food-born illness. When you're out, grocery shop
last, take food straight home to the refrigerator. And never
leave food in a hot car! Don't buy anything you won't use before
the use-by date. Don't buy food in poor condition. Make sure
refrigerated food is cold to the touch. Frozen food should be
rock-solid. Canned goods should be free of dents, cracks or
bulging lids which can indicate a serious food poisoning threat.
The performance and maintenance of your refrigerator is of the
utmost importance. Check the temperature of your refrigerator
with an appliance thermometer. To keep bacteria in check, the
refrigerator should run at 40 degrees F; the freezer unit at
0 degrees F. Generally, keep your refrigerator as cold as possible
without freezing your milk or lettuce. When you prepare food,
keep everything clean and thaw out any frozen food you plan
to prepare in your refrigerator. Take it out of the freezer
in advance and place it in the refrigerated section of your
refrigerator. Always wash your hands in hot soapy water before
preparing and handling any food as well as after you use the
bathroom, change diapers, handle pets, etc. Remember, too, that
bacteria can live in your kitchen towels, sponges and dish cloths.
Wash them often and replace the dish cloths and sponges you
use regularly every few weeks. Be absolutely sure that you keep
all raw meats, poultry and fish and their juices away from other
food. For instance, wash your hands, your cutting board and
knife in hot soapy water after cutting up the chicken and before
dicing salad ingredients. It is best to use plastic cutting
boards rather than wooden ones where bacteria can hide in grooves.
Don't take your food out of the freezer and leave it on the
kitchen counter to thaw. This is extremely dangerous since the
bacteria can grow in the outer layers of the food before the
inside thaws. It is wise to do your marinating in the refrigerator
too.
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