Healthy Habits: Food Safety

Healthy Habits: Food Safety at Home

 

A food safe and sanitary environment when preparing food will be a recipe for success.   According to the USDA, 1 in 6 Americans get sick from food poisoning each year and many pathogenic bacteria can cause long term effects.   The most vulnerable population, elderly and children, are more susceptible to a foodborne illness. 

Some of the most common food safety mistakes:

  • Tasting the food to see if it’s still good
  • Putting cooked meat back on a raw meat plate
  • Thawing food on the counter 
  • Eating foods with raw eggs or uncooked flour
  • Not washing your hands

Small behavior changes in the kitchen can help to prevent your family and others from becoming ill.  

  • Because you can’t taste bacteria, the smallest taste can have big repercussions. 
  • Raw meat can have many bacteria that are killed during the cooking process. Using a clean plate for cooked meat ensures no bacteria make their way back onto your meat. 
  • Bacteria multiply under certain conditions.  The danger zone is between 40° and 140°F. Defrost foods in a refrigerator, under a cold stream of water or in the microwave.
  • Raw dough can contain E. coli, Salmonella and other bacteria. Cooking flour and raw egg products is necessary to prevent illness. 
  • Hands should be washed in warm water, with soap for 20 seconds.  It is especially important after handling raw meats and before moving to other food prep tasks.

Before preparing any food products, work surfaces and utensils should be cleaned.  Wash soil off fruits and vegetables with water and separate them from raw meat and seafood.  It isn’t necessary to wash raw meat because cooking to proper temperatures will kill bacteria. Using a food thermometer is the best way to ensure your meats are thoroughly cooked.  

  • Ground Meats, poultry and leftovers and casseroles should be cooked to 165°F
  • Fresh meat, including beef, veal, lamb and pork, should be cooked to 145°F and should be allowed to rest for 3 minutes. 
  • Fin fish cooked to 145°F
  • Shellfish, lobster and crab should be cooked until flesh is opaque

Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods don’t require further cooking before consumption.  It is important to separate raw meats, poultry and seafood from RTE foods.  Separating begins in your shopping cart and continues into your refrigerator.  Keep raw meats away from your other products.  Using separate cutting boards and utensils for RTE foods and raw meats can prevent cross contamination. 

One of the most overlooked food safety precautions is properly cooling foods.  Because bacteria thrive in the danger zone, it’s important to refrigerate foods within 2 hours or within 1 hour during the summer. Dividing leftovers into shallow containers allows food to cool faster.  

Establishing food safety rules in your home can protect others from harmful bacteria and a foodborne illness.

This week’s Healthy Habit:  Check out your refrigerator and make sure you have raw meats on the bottom shelf and away from your RTE foods.

 

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