You begin to feel sick with a headache and nausea, which progresses to diarrhea and vomiting. Your doctor says that it is likely you have a food-borne illness. You try to retrace in your mind where you have eaten over the past few days. You remember the deli sandwich, the new restaurant in town and the delivered meal. You also had a sandwich at the game yesterday and you ate at home!!

Food safety experts remind consumers to practice safe food handling procedures from store to table. One of the goals of the month is "to educate the public to handle and prepare food properly at home, where safety is equally important --whether cooking from scratch of serving take-out meals and restaurant leftovers""

It is difficult to accurately document the number of food-borne illnesses associated with home food safety practices. Onset of food-borne illness can occur any time from about a half hour to a couple of weeks or more after exposure to the contaminated food. The incubation time is dependent, in part, upon the organism involved. Unless large numbers of people are affected food borne illnesses often go unreported or are attributed to "a 24-hour bug". Although food safety practices are improving, surveys indicate that food handling practices on the home front still show room for improvement. For example, the American Dietetic Association /Conagra telephone survey of 1,000 household main meal preparers indicate that although 45 percent knew that improper hand washing could result in food poisoning, 44 percent consistently forgot to wash their hands properly before preparing meals. In addition, 78 percent recognized a failure to wash cutting boards between handling raw meats and then cutting raw vegetables could result in food poisoning, 11 percent rinsed or wiped off the cutting boards without the use of soap. Of those contacted 74 percent knew food poisoning could result from eating meats and poultry not cooked to proper temperature, only 12 percent always used a meat thermometer to confirm that the proper end-point temperature had been reached.

How knowledgeable are you about making sure your food is safe to eat? Take this food safety quiz to find out!

(MEAT and POULTRY) Studies have indicated that there is no benefit to washing meat and poultry. In fact, washing can allow bacteria on meat and poultry to spread to other ready-to-eat foods. Remember, bacteria that are present on the surface of the meat or poultry will be destroyed by cooking to a temperature of 160 degrees F. Washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. It is important to prevent cross-contamination from meat or poultry juices by washing counter tops and sinks with hot soapy water. To sanitize use a solution of one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach per quart of water.

(HAM, BACON, SALT PORK) Sometimes consumers wash or soak ham, bacon, or salt pork because they think it reduces the sodium or salt enough to allow these products to be eaten on a sodium-restricted diet. However, very little salt is removed by washing, rinsing, or soaking a meat product and is not recommended.

(EGGS) Do not wash eggs before storing or using them. Washing could increase the risk of cross contamination, especially if the shell becomes cracked.

(FRESH PRODUCE) Before eating or preparing, wash fresh produce under cold running tap water to remove any lingering dirt. This reduces bacteria that may be present. Produce such as apples or potatoes may be scrubbed with a brush. Consumers should not wash fruits and vegetables with detergents or soap. These products are not approved or labeled by the FDA for use on foods. You could ingest residues from soap or detergent absorbed on the produce.

Answer:

The "sell-by" date on foods with a short shelf life such as milk, meat, and bread, simply indicates to grocers the last date the product should appear on a store shelf. Most foods will remain safe to eat for at least a couple of days after that date if the food has been stored properly.

"Best if Used By" date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date. A "Use-By" date is the last recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality and has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.

Answer:

No. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy foods all are potentially hazardous foods --- and should not be at room temperature for more than two hours. Remember, just one bacterium can grow to over 2 million bacterium in seven hours!

Answer:

RISKY! It is OK to trim away mold from hard cheese such as cheddar or parmesan (cut off a one-inch slice around the discoloration). However, soft cheese with mold growth evident should be discarded.

Answer:

FALSE. Many consumers believe that visible indicators such as color changes can be used to determine if foods are cooked to a point where pathogens are killed. However, recent research has shown that color is not a reliable indicator of doneness or safeness. Preparing hamburger patties and using brown color as an indicator of "doneness" is taking a chance the microorganisms may survive. Instead, use a food thermometer. A food thermometer provides two benefits:

1. Helps to assure that meat and poultry are cooked enough to be safe.

2. Helps to avoid over cooking that can cause dryness and loss of flavor.

Answer:

YES, hand washing is considered the single most effective way to help protect against food-borne illness.

Remember to wash your hands with warm soapy water for 20 seconds before handling food and after playing with pets, using the bathroom and changing diapers.

Answer:

The brown spots on the lettuce are harmless. The brown or 'rust' occurs after harvesting as a natural breakdown process in the lettuce cells.

Answer:

Bacteria will not grow or reproduce at freezing temperatures, but freezing does not kill bacteria.

Wash the cutting board with hot, soapy water then rinse with hot, soapy water. Another option, would be to purchase several cutting boards to use for different foods and then wash them all in the dishwasher.

Answer:

The safe procedure for cooling is to put the stew into shallow pans to allow faster cooling. The food should be no more than 2-inches thick. Do not be fooled into thinking that by placing a large pot of food in the fridge you will prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. The food in the center may stay warm enough for many hours allowing bacteria to multiply.

Answer:

The thin black "vein" in shrimp is the intestine. Remember, intestine contain bacteria, but cooking thoroughly will kill the bacteria.

Answer:

Eggs should be used within 3 to 5 weeks of purchase assuming that they are stored in refrigerator (at 40 degree F or below). It is best to store them in the carton in which they were purchased.