For many of us, nothing is more enjoyable than entertaining for friends and family during the summer. And no party is complete without delicious food to serve and enjoy. But whether you purchase ready-made items at the store — which may contain food-safe Renoil white oils, as they’re often used in food processing and have a viscosity range of 60 to 500 SUS at 100 degrees Fahrenheit — or make them from scratch at home, you shouldn’t assume that your foods and beverages are inherently safe. Despite the fact that the FDA is exploring ways to make expiration dates more accurate and more easy to understand, you may need to rely on your own food knowledge to ensure no one gets sick from foodborne illness. Want to learn how to avoid food poisoning this season? Here’s what you need to know.
Keep Your Cool
The summer weather is perfect for outdoor celebrations, but this season is also prone to foodborne illness. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six Americans becomes sick each year as a result of consuming contaminated foods or beverages — and then food items are left out in the summer sun, catastrophe can occur. If you plan on hosting a barbecue or picnic outside, you’ll need to come prepared with plenty of ice. Perishable foods should never sit out for more than two hours. Moreover, if the outdoor temperatures hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above, you shouldn’t consume anything that’s been sitting out for more than an hour. You shouldn’t really save leftovers that have been sitting out. In fact, it’s better to store any extra servings in a refrigerator inside prior to serving, rather than put out everything all at once. That way, you’ll have leftovers to save and can bring out more, if need be.
Know When to Wash
It should be common knowledge that produce needs to be thoroughly washed before consumption, but you might be surprised by how many people skip this step. Contrary to popular belief, the risk of contaminated produce can be rather high. Vegetables like spinach, lettuce, peppers, sprouts, strawberries, apples, grapes, peaches, mushrooms, and peaches can all carry harmful bacteria. You’ll want to wash all fruit and veggies prior to prepping, cooking, and eating (even if you don’t plan to eat the skin).
On the other end of the spectrum, you should not wash your raw chicken before cooking it. The CDC recently tweeted out a reminder that this technique can actually spread bacteria onto your counter and other surfaces, where it can then result in cross-contamination. Cooking your poultry to proper temperatures and ensuring raw chicken doesn’t come into contact with anything else will be the best preventative actions you can take.
Always Cook Correctly
Although upper respiratory infections and back pain are the most common reasons to visit a doctor’s office, coming down with food poisoning will often be severe enough to head to urgent care or even the emergency room. By cooking your food properly, you may be able to avoid this scenario. The only accurate way to assess whether food has been cooked safety is to use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the cut. Whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, lamb, ham, and fin fish should be cooked to reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit, while ground meats must reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be considered safe. Poultry and all leftovers should be cooked until the interior reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You cannot determine whether a fish or meat has been thoroughly cooked by looking at its color or texture.
Clean Out Your Fridge
You probably know that foods need to be refrigerated promptly to impede bacteria growth, which is why you shouldn’t wait to get your meats in the cooler upon returning from a grocery store trip. But your fridge may be more dangerous than you might think if you haven’t given it a good cleaning. Just because it’s chilly inside doesn’t mean bacteria can’t still grow; it just grows a bit more slowly in the fridge than at room temperature. When your refrigerator is stuffed to the brim, cold air can’t circulate as well, which makes microbial growth more likely. Before a big event or on a bi-weekly basis, clear out any opened packaged foods, moldy jars and containers, raw meats, older leftovers, and any items that are past their expiration dates. You’ll also want to ensure that raw meats are stored away from produce and other items to prevent cross-contamination. If you have time to take everything out and give your fridge a good scrub-down, all the better.
With so much awareness surrounding food recalls and potential foodborne illnesses, it’s no wonder that everyone’s on high alert. If you follow these food safety tips, you’ll make every family gathering a safe and healthy one — and ensure that no one associates it with a bout of food poisoning.
