Don’t forget the top five food safety facts to help your family stay healthy.
1. Don’t count on your sense of smell, taste and sight to tell if a food is safe. Each year in the United States, about 48 million people become ill from a foodborne illness and 3,000 people die.
Would this many people eat something if they thought it tasted, looked or smelled bad? Why risk getting sick.
A “tiny taste” may not protect you. As few as 10 bacteria could cause some foodborne illnesses, such as E. coli!
2. It can take 1/2 hour to 6 weeks to become sick from unsafe foods. You usually feel OK immediately after eating and become sick later.
3. You also can experience: vomiting, fever, diarrhea, dehydration. Less common, but possible severe conditions include: Meningitis, paralysis and death.
4. Some people have a greater risk for foodborne illnesses.
A food you can safely eat might make others sick. People with a higher risk for foodborne illness include: Infants, pregnant women, young children and older adults and people with weakened immune systems and individuals with certain chronic diseases.
5. Though food may be safe after cooking, it may not be safe later. Just one bacteria in the food can double in 20 minutes! As many as 2,097,152 bacteria can grow from one bacteria left at room temperature 7 hours. Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours at a refrigerator temperature of 40°F or lower. On a hot day (90°F or higher), food should not sit out for more than one hour.
So remember these four steps to proper food handling that will assure food is safe to eat:
• Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.
• Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate
• Cook: Cook to proper temperatures
• Chill: Refrigerate Promptly
This information adapted from Nebraska Lincoln Extension Services.
Brittney J. Seay is the assistant area nutrition agent and EFNEP supervisor for LSU AgCenter in Richland, Madison, East and West Carroll parishes.
