Keeping Your Food Safe

With increasing reports of contaminated foods, it’s hard to know what is and what isn’t safe to consume. While it’s true that food poisoning is on the rise, there are many ways to protect yourself and your family from the dangers of food-borne disease.

Eating out:
1) Check the dates on inspection reports and/or safety certificates
2) Observe the cleanliness of the staff. Is their hair pulled back? Are their clothes clean?
3) Make sure any salad bars are kept cold (41 degrees F or below). Also, check for someone monitoring the cleanliness of the bar.

The supermarket:
1) Fill your cart with nonperishables before picking up your produce and refrigerated items. Make sure to get all perishable items into your refrigerator as soon as possible after purchase.
2) Always check expiration and “sell-by” dates. It’s believed that E. Coli grows quicker in aging greens, so it is imperative to buy the freshest items possible.
3) Don’t buy produce that is dented or bruised.
4) Buy unprocessed produce whenever possible. The majority of food-borne illness comes from packaged products.

Picnics, BBQ’s and farmers markets:
1) Transport foods in the passenger seat. Trunks can reach up to 150 degrees F.
2) When grilling, make sure to keep your cooked and uncooked food separate.
3) Keep foods on ice or in coolers and away from the sun and insects.
4) Bring hand sanitizer or moist towelettes just in case there are no nearby washing facilities.
5) Only sample foods from the market that have evidence of cleanliness (gloves, clean water, etc.).
6) Skip the samples with flies, or ones that are clustered together.