Protect Yourself from Foodborne Illness

Did you know that foodborne illness strikes as many as 80 million Americans each year? Most of the incidents are mild cases. However, 9,000 cases of foodborne illness are fatal. Most of the worse cases are caused from meat and poultry contamination.

Here are a few tips you can follow to protect yourself from common food contamination.

E. coli bacteria may be responsible for over 20,000 cases of food poisoning each year. For your protection, cook all meat and poultry to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Many types of bacteria are found on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables, even melons. Be sure to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before slicing (applies to any type of food), otherwise the knife may carry the bacteria to the inside.

Harmful bacteria don't stop multiplying unless they are refrigerated below 40 degrees. You may not be aware, but many refrigerators do not cool below this temperature. Check the temperature setting of your refrigerator.

Even freezing food items does not kill bacteria, it only stops their growth. The only way to kill bacteria is cooking contained in food items is to cook or heat the food.

Reported salmonella food poisoning cases have increase over 40% in recent years. A good percentage of these cases have been associated with fast food restaurants.

It's a good practice to boil all kitchen sponges at least once per week to insure that they are contaminant free.

If the contents of a can or jar have a funny smell, appear moldy or have an off color, don't eat it! Be safe and just discard the item.

Always keep eggs under refrigeration.

For more tips and advice on foodborne illness, see the following information at the Center for Disease Control ... http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm