Restaurants, grocery stores, food processing plants, even your own home—food contamination can happen anywhere it’s being handled, and it can lead to serious health problems. Food poisoning causes 48 million people to get sick and 30,000 deaths each year.
Foodborne illnesses can come from bacteria, parasites and viruses. The most common sicknesses are from bacteria, as thousands of types are naturally present in our environment. Microorganisms that cause disease are called pathogens, and when these enter the food supply, contamination can occur.
Food can have bacteria on it when you buy it. Raw meat can become contaminated during the slaughter process, and fruits and vegetables can become tainted when they’re growing. Foods can become cross-contaminated from raw egg products, meat, poultry and seafood. Food handlers with poor personal hygiene or improper preparation, storage and cooking can also cause contamination.
Thawing Foods
When thawing foods, avoid potential contamination by not letting food sit on a counter at room temperature, as bacteria can grow quickly in these conditions. Thawing food on the counter also raises the risk of contaminating the counter, thus increasing the risk for other foods in the future.
Food Thermometers
Cook meat, poultry or seafood to the correct temperature by using a food thermometer. For steaks and chops of raw beef, pork, lamb and veal, cook to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F. For raw ground meat, cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Reheating Foods
Follow all instructions on how to safely reheat foods and store leftovers. Maintain hot cooked food at 140 degrees F or above. When reheating cooked food, reheat to 165 degrees F. Don’t simply keep leftovers until they look, smell, or taste bad. At that point, it’s often too late.
Danger Zone
Bacteria often multiply between 40 (4.444°C) and 140 degreesF (60°C) . It’s important to keep food out of this danger zone, so try to keep cold food cold and hot food hot.
Cleaning Foods
Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, even ones you’re going to peel. It’s easy to transfer bacteria from the peel or rind when you’re cutting into the fruit or vegetable. Use clean running water to remove bacteria and wash produce safely.
Cleaning Kitchen Surfaces
To effectively clean surfaces in your kitchen, use a mixture of one teaspoon of liquid, unscented bleach for every quart of water.
Washing Your Hands
Properly wash your hands before, during and after handling and preparing food. To wash your hands, wet them with clean, running water, turn off the tap, and apply soap. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Once done, rinse your hands well with clean water. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air-dry them.
Knives and Cutting Boards
Designate certain knives and cutting boards for raw food products to prevent cross-contamination. Wash recently used knives and cutting boards, along with your hands, thoroughly before touching anything else.
This is brought to you courtesy of RCL Industrial Safety Centre Ltd www.safetycentre.ng and www.foodsafety.org.ng