Safeguarding Your Food
Each year, an estimated seven million Americans suffer from cases of food borne illnesses. Some cases are violent & even lead to 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 buying public but everyone’s attention was recently directed to food poisoning involving some meat that was bad. It was determined that the problem would never have happened if the meat was cooked properly. EC Coli 0157.H H7 is a potent virus, but it can be completely destroyed when the meat is tender.
It is important for consumers to take an all-around safety approach to purchasing, storing & preparing both traditional & new meat & poultry products. Eventually consumers & food handlers bear the responsibility for keeping food safe when it leaves the shop.
The United States Department of Agriculture, about eighty-five % of food-borne illness cases could be avoided each year if consumers would handle food properly. The most common food borne illnesses are caused by a combination of bacteria that occurs naturally in the environment & food handling mistakes. Ironically, these are also the easiest types of food borne diseases. Proper cooking or processing of raw meat & poultry kills bacteria that can cause food borne illnesses.
If you are out, grocery store last, take food straight home to the refrigerator. & never leave food in a hot car! Don’t buy something you’ll not use before the expiration 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 & maintenance of your refrigerator is of utmost importance. Check the temperature of your refrigerator with an appliance thermometer. To control bacteria, the refrigerator at forty degrees F & the freezer unit at 0 degrees F. General, keep the refrigerator as cold as possible without freezing your milk or lettuce.
When you cook, keep everything clean & thaw any frozen food you plan to prepare for your refrigerator. Take it out of the freezer in advance & in the refrigerated section of your refrigerator. Always wash hands in warm water before preparing & handling any food & after using the toilet, changing diapers, handle pets, etc. Remember that bacteria can live in your kitchen towels, sponges & dish cloths. Wash them often & replace the dish cloths & sponges you use regularly every few weeks.
Make absolutely sure that you keep all raw meat, poultry & fish & their juices away from other food. For example, wash your hands, your cutting board & knife in hot water after cutting up chicken & before dicing salad ingredients. It’s best to use plastic cutting boards rather than wooden ones where bacteria can hide in grooves. Don’t take your food from the freezer & leave it on the kitchen counter to thaw. This is extremely dangerous because bacteria may grow in the outer layers of food before the inside thaws. It’s wise to do your marinating in the refrigerator too.
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