Strategies for Decreasing the Risk of Food-Borne Illness

In the last few months, a wide variety of foods has been implicated as a source of outbreaks of food-borne illness. It’s important that consumers understand what they can do to decrease their risk of infection through improper storage and poor preparation.

CHICKEN

Although as much as 40% of the nation’s uncooked chickens may contain salmonella, this bacteria is killed by thorough cooking. Coupled with careful handling of the raw product, the risk of infection can be almost totally eliminated. Follow these recommendations:

--Store raw chicken in the refrigerator for no longer than one to two days; whole chickens may be frozen up to one year, parts up to nine months.

--When refrigerating raw chicken, make certain it does not come in contact with other foods.

--Rinse chicken with cold water before cooking.

--Thoroughly wash anything that comes in contact with the raw poultry using hot soapy water.

--Cook chicken to an internal temperature of 180 to 185 degrees, using a meat thermometer.

--For stuffed birds, lightly spoon the dressing into the cavity just before roasting. To be fully cooked, the dressing must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove all dressing from the bird before carving.

MEATS

Salmonella in beef and trichinosis in pork can be rendered harmless by thorough cooking.

Health officials say that current levels of growth hormones used on American cattle are safe.

The following guidelines should be followed:

--Most raw meats may be stored in the refrigerator from three to five days. Exceptions are ground or stewed meats, variety meats and fresh sausage. These should only be refrigerated one to two days.

--Beef roasts and steaks may be frozen six months to a year; lamb roasts, six to nine months; pork and veal roasts, four to eight months. Pork chops, ground and stew meats may be frozen three to four months; sausage one to two months.

--Use a meat thermometer when cooking all meats. Be aware that cooking beef rare, to only 140 degrees, means that some food poisoning organisms could survive. Fresh pork must be cooked to 160 degrees.

FISH AND SHELLFISH

Many of the bacteria found in seafood are killed by adequate cooking. To guard against risks of parasites and chemical pollutants, consumers should:

--Purchase seafood from stores with proper storage and handling facilities.

--Keep all fish and shellfish refrigerated. Do not store unfrozen seafood more than a few days.

--Use frozen seafood within two to three months.

--Rinse seafood with cold water before cooking.

--Avoid eating raw or partially cooked seafood.

EGGS

We can’t be certain the eggs we buy are not contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis bacteria, but there are precautions we can take to prevent food-borne illness:

--Purchase eggs graded AA or A with clean, uncracked shells. It’s an additional plus if the market has stored eggs under refrigeration.

--In the home, refrigerate eggs in their original carton. Since the eggs have been washed during processing, it’s not necessary to wash them again.

--Use raw in-shell eggs within five weeks from the time of purchase. Once eggs are hard-cooked, they should be used within one week regardless of whether they are in the shell or peeled. It’s recommended that any egg yolks or whites left over from recipe preparation be used within four days.

--Consumers, especially those at risk such as the elderly and those with impaired immune systems, should avoid eating raw eggs and foods containing raw eggs. This includes foods such as Caesar salad, homemade blender hollandaise sauce and mayonnaise, and homemade ice cream containing uncooked eggs.

--Cook eggs thoroughly, until both yolks and whites are firm. There may be some risk in eating eggs lightly cooked, such as soft-cooked, soft-scrambled and sunny-side up.

--Realize that eating lightly cooked foods containing eggs, such as soft custards, meringues and French toast may also be risky for people with weakened immune systems and other high-risk groups.

PRODUCE

Although some pesticides, such as Alar used on apples, penetrate the food, many do not. Consumers can protect themselves by:

--Scrubbing fruits and vegetables with a clean brush to remove pesticides

--When feasible, peeling fruit and vegetables. This also eliminates wax coatings that many people find undesirable.

--Removing and discarding outer leaves of vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage, then washing what remains.

--Another item that has recently caused problems is chopped garlic in oil. The Food and Drug Administration warns consumers may risk potentially fatal botulism food poisoning from some commercial and homemade chopped garlic and oil mixes if they are left at room tempeature instead of being refrigerated from manufacturing to consumption. In particular, garlic and oil mixes containing little or no acidifying agent such as phosphoric or citric acid should be kept refrigerated at all times.