FOOD 101: How To Avoid Salmonella & Other Food Poisoning

September 12, 2014 at 8:34 am · Filed under Cooking

People tend to worry about food poisoning during the summer months, when eating outdoors exposes food to greater bacterial growth from the heat. But you can get food poisoning year round, including in your own kitchen.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education helps consumers get the facts, deflating common myths about cross-contamination and the growth of harmful pathogens that cause food poisoning. Here are their myth busters for 2014:

Myth 1: It’s O.K. to wash bagged greens if I want to. It’s even better for them.

Fact: While intuition says that giving ready to eat, washed or triple washed salad couldn’t possibly hurt, the truth is otherwise. An extra rinse will not enhance safety, but could potentially lead to cross-contamination from pathogens that could be on your hands or on kitchen surfaces. Ready-to-eat greens are just that: ready!

Myth 2: Cross-contamination doesn’t happen in the refrigerator. It’s too cold in there for germs to survive!

Fact: Some bacteria can survive cold environments like the fridge. In fact, Listeria monocytogenes grows at temperatures as low as 35.6°F. A recent study from NSF International reveals that the refrigerator produce compartment is one of the germiest place in the kitchen, containing salmonella and listeria bacteria.

Don’t rinse raw chicken before cooking it. Salmonella can contaminate other items in the sink. Photo courtesy Chicken.ie.

To reduce the risk of cross-contamination, clean the bins regularly with hot soap and water; clean the other surfaces of the fridge likewise, including the walls and undersides of shelves; and clean up any food and beverage skills immediately. Be sure to keep fresh produce separate from raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.

Not fun: the salmonella bacterium. Photo
courtesy Kosmix.co.

Myth 3: It’s only important to rinse fresh fruits and vegetables for safety. I don’t need to dry them too.

Fact: Using a clean cloth or paper towel to blot dry fruits and vegetables after rinsing is more important than you might realize. Research has found that taking a minute to dry the produce reduces the level harmful bacteria that can remain on the surface.

Just before use, rinse under running water only that produce that you plan to eat, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten (like melon or citrus).

Dry with a clean cloth or a paper towel.

Myth 4: I don’t need to rinse this melon for safety, since the part I eat is on the inside.
Fact: There are many pathogens on the rind that can contaminate the edible portion. A knife or peeler passing through the rind can carry them from the outside to the inside. The rind also touches the flesh when sliced pieces of melon are stacked on a platter. Play it safe and rinse the melon under running water while rubbing it with your hands or scrubbing it with a clean brush and then dry it before slicing.

FOOD SAFETY TRIVIA

65% of people don’t wash their hands before starting meal preparation.

1/3 of people only use water to rinse their hands. You need to use soap!

45% of consumers rinse raw chicken. This spread germs and isn’t a food safety step. Don’t rinse it! (Big surprise—we intuitively rinsed the chicken.)

Don’t guess: Use a food thermometer. The safe temperature for cooked chicken is 165°F.

For more food safety information, visit FoodSafety.gov.

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