Inside Out (Sep/Oct 2002)

September/October 2002
Page 7

A Raw Deal

You sure can’t see them and you probably can’t smell them either, but there are a bunch of microorganisms lurking about in your food, ready to cause spoilage and possibly illness. Food borne illness, more commonly known as food poisoning, occurs when a person gets sick from eating food that has been contaminated with unwanted microorganisms such as a bacterium, parasite or virus. Health Canada estimates that about two million Canadians suffer from illnesses caused by food borne bacteria every year, and about two to three per cent of those cases can result in chronic health problems. Infants, young children, seniors and those with a weak immune system are the most susceptible. Food borne illness is often under-reported and mistaken for the flu, since their symptoms are so similar: stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever. The symptoms usually appear within four to forty-eight hours after coming in contact with a food borne bacteria, but can also hit you as soon as thirty minutes or as late as two weeks after the contact. As the warm weather beckons us outdoors, it’s a good time to be extra careful about safe food handling, cooking and storage. Organized by the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, the Fight BAC campaign, (short for Fight Food borne Bacteria), is designed to help Canadians fight harmful bacteria by practicing safe food handling. Follow these for golden rules to keep your food safe for everyone to eat.

CHILL

Never defrost meat or poultry on the counter. At room temperature, bacteria can grow on the surface of the meat even while the inside is still frozen. Thaw meat or poultry in the microwave, under cold running water or on a plate in the fridge.
Keep meat and poultry out of the danger zone. Cold food should be kept below 4 degrees C (40 F) and hot food above 60 degrees C (140F). Between these two temperatures, bacteria rapidly grow and multiply.
When grocery shopping pick up the refrigerated and frozen foods last. Go home right away and store these foods immediately in the fridge or freezer. If you’re bringing groceries up to the cottage, keep the perishables in a cooler filled with ice packs or ice bags.
Don’t freeze meat or poultry that is labelled “previously frozen” or “contains previously frozen parts.” These must be refrigerated and cooked within one to three days or can be fully cooked and then frozen.
Always marinate food in the refrigerator.
Store leftovers promptly after serving.

CLEAN

Sing a chorus of Row, row, row, your boat, while washing your hands-that takes about 20 seconds which is the recommended length of time to spend washing your hands.
Use hot soapy water to wash your hands before and after handling food, especially after touching raw foods.
Wash and sanitize cooking utensils, plates, cutting boards and work surfaces after they have been in contact with raw meat, poultry or seafood.
To prepare a sanitizing solution, add 1 tsp. Bleach to 3 cups water. Hot soapy water alone may not kill all types of bacteria.
Wash dishes within two hours of using them, to prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying.

SEPARATE

Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood away from cooked foods at all times - in your grocery cart, in the refrigerator and while preparing food.
Make sure that the juices or marinades from the uncooked meat or poultry do not drip onto other foods.
Prevent cross- contamination by using different cutting boards, utensils and plates for raw foods versus cooked.
COOK
Set your oven to at least 250 degrees when cooking beef and 325 when cooking poultry.
Use a meat thermometer to accurately check the temperature of foods. A digital instant — read thermometer is ideal for hamburgers.

The Nutritional Journal, by Sue Mah, MHSc., Registered Dietician, via Highland Tidings, Sep/02, via Inside Out On-line Sep/Oct 2002.