You’ve eaten and fixed food all your life, so why worry about food safety now? There are some good reasons for being a practitioner of food safety.
It's More Important Now than When You Were Younger
As you get older, your immune system weakens and you are more likely to get bacterial illnesses. Your stomach produces less acid, allowing more bacteria to survive. Avoidable foodborne illnesses kill thousands of Americans each year. Seniors actually do a better job of handling food safety than any other age group, but they’re also at higher risk.
Food Production and Distribution Have Changed
The food you ate today might come from seven different states and three foreign countries. That means you might have been exposed to bacteria you have never encountered before. Scientists have discovered many new bacteria that can cause foodborne illness (often called food poisoning).
About half of the money Americans spend on food is for restaurant or “take out” food. Even though it is already prepared, you still need to take reasonable precautions.
Children, pregnant women, and seniors are at the highest risk for foodborne illness. Food that looks and smells perfectly good can cause serious illness if it wasn’t prepared or stored safely. It is often difficult to determine which food might have caused an illness because illness can occur hours, days, or weeks after eating a tainted food.
Clean, Cook, and Chill - the Three Cs
- Clean your hands and the food you are going to prepare. Bacteria can exist on your hands, cutting boards, counter surfaces, utensils, and sponges. Thorough washing and cleaning before food preparation will kill many bacteria and keep other bacteria from growing. Use warm, soapy water to wash hands and surfaces before and after handling each type of food. Be sure to keep meat, poultry, and seafood away from any other food while preparing a meal. Bacteria from these foods could contaminate your other food.
- Cook food at the proper temperatures for the proper length of time to kill harmful bacteria. Most recipes suggest a cooking temperature and cooking time. Undercooked food can be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Use a food thermometer to make sure foods have reached a safe internal temperature.
- Chill foods as soon as possible after cooking if you don’t immediately eat them. Bacteria can double every 20 minutes at room temperature! It’s perfectly OK to put hot or warm food in the refrigerator. It won’t harm the refrigerator and it will keep bacteria from growing.
These simple steps can greatly reduce your foodborne illness risk. It’s worth a little time and effort to stay healthy.
Reheat It Anyway
Even though you may buy pre-cooked foods, some will need to be reheated for safety. Bacteria can contaminate foods after they have been prepared and packaged. Better safe than sorry.
- Hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, sausage, and deli-style meat and poultry need to be reheated. Heat them until they are steamy hot. It is safer to throw them away than to eat them unheated.
- Discard any foods left out at room temperature for more than two hours. If the temperature is above 90 degrees, discard food after one hour.
- If you buy take-out food, eat it within two hours or reheat it before eating it. Heat it to at least 140 degrees.
- If you bring home a “doggy bag” after eating out, be sure to put it in the refrigerator as soon as you get home, unless you actually feed it to your dog.
Summary
Taking a few extra minutes to make sure everything is clean when preparing food can save a lot of grief later. When you buy prepared food, store it safely and reheat meat, poultry, or seafood products. |
