Extension Exchange

NDSU EXTENSION SERVICE Press Release Week of Sept. 16, 2002
 

Sue Fagerholt

Walsh County Extension Agent

701-284-6624

FOOD BORNE ILLNESSES - MORE THAN JUST A “BUG”

September is National Food Safety Awareness Month. Did you know that in the United States alone there are 76 million cases of diagnosed food borne illness reported every year? Of these,

325, 000 result in hospitalization and 5,000 in death.

These are high numbers, but in reality, there are many, many more cases of food borne illness that go undiagnosed, because many people call it the “flu bug”.

The most common symptoms of food borne illness include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever, the same symptoms common with the flu. These symptoms can occur immediately or not for a few days, so it is hard to make the connection between the symptoms and the possible contaminated food source.

People that are most vulnerable to food borne illnesses and to their most severe symptoms are children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with other illnesses that may weaken their immune systems.

Preventing food borne illness needs to become a routine part of food preparation, and it requires the continued use of four basic steps. These four steps are: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.

*Clean! Everything that touches food should be clean

• Wash hands in hot soapy water before preparing food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers or handling pets.
• Wash cutting boards, knives, utensils and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before going on to the next.
• Use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards (avoid wood). Cutting boards should be washed in hot soapy water immediately after use.
• Use paper towels for clean up instead of cloth.

*Separate! Fight cross -contamination! This is how bacteria is spread from one food product to another. This is especially serious when using utensils that have been used on raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

• Keep meat, poultry and seafood away from other foods in your grocery cart.
• Store raw meat, poultry and seafood in the refrigerator so that their juices don’t drop unto other foods.
• Use one cutting board for raw meat products and a separate one for salads and vegetable preparation.
• Wash your hands after touching raw meats and before touching any other foods.
• Never place finished foods on a plate that held raw meat, poultry or seafood.

*Cook! Use a meat thermometer in cooking - it’s the only way to tell if food has reached a high enough temperature to destroy harmful micro-organisms.

• Cook roasts and steaks to an internal temperature on 145 degrees
• Cook poultry to an internal temperature of 180 degrees
• Cook ground meats to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remember: Checking the color of a burger does not guarantee that the meat is properly heated even though it may show no pink.
• Heat leftovers to 165 degrees, and bring sauces and gravies to a boil.

*Chill! Make sure the temperature in the refrigerator is 40 degrees or below and 0 degrees or below in the freezer.

• Refrigerate or freeze perishables and prepared food within two hours.
• Never defrost or marinate food, especially meats, on the counter. Use the refrigerator.
• Divide large amount of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling.
• Don’t pack the refrigerator. Cool air must circulate to keep food safe.

Making these steps part of the routine in preparing every meal will help to ensure the safety of the food you prepare for your family, and will pay for itself in good health!

Sue can be reached via e-mail at sfagerho@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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