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Food-borne Illness:
How To Keep From Getting Sick
"It must have been something I ate," is often the
explanation for what many people call the "stomach flu." Scientists,
however, have a different name for this problem. They call it food-borne
illness and estimate that each year, between 6.5 million and 33 million people
suffer from its consequences.
But you don't have to be one of the unlucky ones. Most cases
of food-borne illness can be prevented through some simple food handling and
storage steps. All it takes is a little know-how and such everyday weapons as
soap and water, a refrigerator and a food thermometer to check the
temperature.
 What
is a Food-borne Illness?
Food-borne illness is the sickness that results from eating
foods that are contaminated with harmful bacteria and other microorganisms.
Although you may not see, smell or taste these "bugs," under the
right conditions, they may be present on the foods when they are purchased or
get into food during preparation, cooking, serving or storage.
Common symptoms of food-borne illness include diarrhea,
abdominal cramps, fever, headache and vomiting. These symptoms may come on as
early as a half hour after eating contaminated food or may not develop for up
to two weeks. They usually last only a day or two, but in some cases can
persist a week or more. For most healthy people, food-borne illnesses are
neither long-lasting nor life-threatening. However, the consequences can be
severe and may require hospitalization and even lead to death in the very
young, the very old and those with weakened immune systems.
How to Keep Foods Safe
Because bacteria can survive on raw foods despite aggressive
controls at the processing and retail levels, food safety experts urge
consumers to think about food safety at each step in the food handling process
-- from shopping or bringing takeout foods home to storing leftovers. This
means consumers should always follow these four simple steps:
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Clean - Wash hands, utensils and surfaces with hot
soapy water before and after food preparation, and especially after
preparing meat, poultry, eggs or seafood to protect adequately against
bacteria. Using a disinfectant cleaner or a mixture of bleach and water on
surfaces and antibacterial soap on hands can provide some added
protection.
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Separate - Keep raw meat, poultry, eggs and
seafood and their juices away from ready-to-eat food; never place cooked
food on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, eggs or
seafood.
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Cook - Cook food to the proper internal
temperatures (this varies for different cuts and types of meat and
poultry) and check for doneness with a food thermometer. Cook eggs until
both the yolk and white are firm.
-
Chill - Refrigerate or freeze perishables,
prepared food and leftovers within two hours and make sure the
refrigerator is set at no higher than 40°F (4.4°C) and that the freezer unit is
set at 0°F (-17.8°C).
Bacteria are invisible enemies. But you have four powerful
weapons to Fight BAC!™ So, be a BAC fighter and make the meals and snacks
you serve the safest possible.
IN SHORT . . . FIGHT BAC!™
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