Ways To Prevent Food Poisoning

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Ways To Prevent Food Poisoning
By The Editorial Team

Keep Food Clean

Work with clean hands, clean hair, clean fingernails, and wear clean clothing.

Wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet, assisting anyone using the toilet, or changing diapers.

Wash hands with soap and water after smoking or blowing your nose

Wash hands with soap and water after touching raw meat, poultry, seafoods or eggs, before working with other food.

Avoid using hands to mix foods when clean utensils can be used.

Keep hands away from mouth, nose, and hair.

Cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues and wash hands thoroughly afterward.

Avoid using the same spoon more than once for tasting food while preparing, cooking, or serving.

Thoroughly clean all dishes, utensils, and work surfaces with soap and water after each use. It is especially important to clean equipment and work surfaces that have been used for raw food (such as meat, poultry, or seafood) before you use them for cooked food. This prevents the cooked food from becoming contaminated with bacteria that may have been present in the raw food. Bacteria can be destroyed by rinsing utensils and work surfaces with a solution of 1 tablespoon (about 1 capful) of chlorine laundry bleach to 1 gallon of cool water. Cutting boards, meat grinders, blenders, and meat slicers particularly need this treatment.

Cook Foods Adequately

Make sure that meat and poultry are cooked all the way through by using a meat thermometer. For whole poultry, insert the tip of the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh next to the body, or cook until the juices run clear when the bird is pricked with a fork.

Rare beef is popular, but since it is cooked to only 140躘, some food-poisoning organisms may survive.

Game meat frequently has a high bacterial content because it has been handled in less sanitary conditions than domestic meat. Cook all game meat to at least 160躘 (medium doneness) to kill any food-poisoning bacteria that may be in the meat.

Pork must be cooked to at least medium doneness (160躘) to destroy a harmful parasite, Trichinella spiralis, that may be present in raw pork and a few other meats, like bear. This worm causes trichinosis in humans and animals.

Raw fish may also contain parasites which can cause human illness. Cook fish until it flakes and loses its translucent (raw) appearance (140躘).

Shellfish may pick up bacteria and viruses from contaminated waters. These microorganisms may then be transferred to anyone who eats the shellfish without cooking, so eating raw or lightly cooked shellfish is not recommended.

Keep Hot Food Hot, Cold Food Cold

Like other living things, bacteria need food, warmth, moisture, and time to grow and multiply. In order to prevent bacteria from growing, keep hot foods HOT (above 140躘) and cold foods COLD (below 40躘). Food may be unsafe if held for more than 2-3 hours at 60-125躘, the zone where bacteria grow rapidly. Remember to include all time involved during preparation, storage, and serving. For example, holding foods for several hours in an automatic oven prior to cooking is not safe if the food is in the temperature zone of 60-125躘 for more than 2 or 3 hours.

Leftovers

Hot perishable foods need to be cooled quickly. Don't cool leftovers on the kitchen counter. Put them straight into the refrigerator or else cool them in a bowl surrounded by ice water, then refrigerate.

Small portions of food cool more quickly to temperatures where bacteria quit growing. Divide large meat, macaroni, or potato salads and large bowls of mashed potatoes or dressing into smaller portions. Pour large pots of stew or soup into shallow containers, then put into the refrigerator.

Caution: Do not rely on reheating leftover food to make mishandled food safe. Staph bacteria produce a toxin that is not destroyed by heating!

Frozen Foods

Maintain strict sanitation when preparing any food for the home freezer. Keep all food to be frozen and everything it touches clean. Freezing does not kill the bacteria in food; it simply stops their growth. They continue to multiply after the food is thawed. Freeze only high-quality food. Handle foods to be frozen as little as possible to avoid spreading bacteria. Foods that have been frozen and thawed require the same care as foods that have not been frozen. You may safely refreeze frozen foods that have thawed if they still contain ice crystals or if they are still cold-about 40躘. In general, if a food is safe to eat, it is safe to refreeze.

Thawed ground meat, poultry, or fish that have an off-odor or are off-color should not be refrozen and should not be eaten. If the odor or color of any food is poor or questionable, do not taste it. Throw it out.

Canned Foods

Commercially canned foods are considered safe because they are processed under carefully controlled conditions. However, if a commercially canned food shows any sign of spoilage--bulging can ends, leakage, spurting liquid, off-odor, or mold--do not use it. Do not even taste it.