Every year more than 76 million people in the United States will get some type of food poisoning, will you be one of them? Will it be someone in your family? I sure hope not! However, there are many things you can do in your own home to help prevent food borne illnesses from making you and your family sick.
I found a great web site online called Home Food Safety that has a lot of free information on it to help keep you safe. What I really love about this web site is all of their fabulous tips that they give to prevent food poisoning in your home, at the grocery store and while dining out. Some of these tips are things I never personally thought of so I though I would share a few tips of theirs with all of our blog readers.
1. Did you know that your refrigerator should be 40 degrees or colder? Did you know that most people never check the temperature of their refrigerator? Well, you should! You can buy an inexpensive refrigerator thermometer and you should keep it in the center of your refrigerator at all times to make sure your refrigerator is 40 degress or less. If it’s over 40 degrees, you run the risk of harmful bacteria growing inside your refrigerator or in/on your food. In addition, you need to clean out your refrigerator frequently and give it a good cleaning by scrubbing down the inside walls, shelves and racks with hot soapy water often to prevent bacteria from growing.
2. Many people get sick every year by eating left-over foods (left-overs) that are way past their prime. Over on the Home Food Safety web site, you will find an excellent chart on when you need to pitch those left-over foods. I recommend that you print it out and tack it onto the front of your refrigerator so that you know when to clean those items out!
3. You should own 2 or more cutting boards in your home. You should have one specific cutting board for just cutting up raw meats and a separate cutting board for all of your other food items. When you are done using your cutting boards it is important to wash them with hot soapy water or a good disinfectant. Never cut fruits & veggies on a cutting board that was used for raw meats!
4. You should always inspect your food packages. If a canned item is leaking, bulging, rusted, or swollen, discard the can immediately! If any of your packaged goods look buggy or they are discolored, discard them! It is very important to read expiration dates on your packages and to toss any food item that is past it’s prime or if it doesn’t look or smell right. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
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5. It is important to frequently wash your hands when preparing food items for your family and you should wash them with warm soapy water. You never want to handle raw meat and then touch other things in your kitchen…ALWAYS wash those hands!!!
We hope that you will take a few minutes out of your busy day today and head on over to http://www.homefoodsafety.org/ to read all of the fabulous food safety tips that they have on their web site! Educate yourself today to help keep your family safe tomorrow!
Disclosure: For helping spread the word about the importance of home food safety, I was entered into a drawing for a $15 Starbucks gift card and an iPad through Summertime Food Smarts, a contest run by the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Safety program. Home Food Safety is dedicated to raising consumer awareness about the seriousness of foodborne illness and providing solutions for easily and safely handling foods. Learn more at http://www.homefoodsafety.org/.