Food poisoning is an unfortunately common illness with serious health repercussions if not addressed promptly. To best protect your wellbeing, try your best to steer clear of food poisoning in the first place by following these simple tips for prevention.
Here Are Some Tips For Avoiding Food Poisoning:
1. Be mindful of food storage conditions
Food poisoning can be caused by spoiled food that has been left at room temperature for too long. To minimize this risk, be sure to store perishable items like meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy in either refrigeration or freezing immediately after being removed from their fridges.
Refrigerated items should not exceed 4degC while frozen ones should be stored at -18degC or colder if possible; additionally, try to consume ready-to-eat items within two hours after taking them from their refrigerators.
2. Adopt safe thawing techniques.
Before cooking frozen foods, it is important to thoroughly defrost them in order to prevent bacterial growth on their surface while being cooked. The safest way to do this is to transfer them from the freezer to the fridge and allow them to defrost slowly. If time is an issue, microwave thawing can also be done quickly; just make sure it’s cooked immediately after being thawed.
3. Wash fruits and veggies before consumption.
Always thoroughly wash raw produce before eating or cooking with them as they may have come into contact with harmful bacteria due to inadequate handling or growing methods. Even if something appears clean on the outside, there could still be contamination present.
Use a brush or your hands to scrub fruits and vegetables under running water using either a brush or your hands – paying special attention to any dimples or folds where dirt can hide – then rinse away all soap residue using cold water.
4. Sanitize food preparation surfaces and utensils with antimicrobial cleaner.
Cross-contamination is one of the leading causes of food poisoning, occurring when harmful bacteria from raw meat, poultry or seafood come in contact with other foods that will be eaten without being cooked.
To improve environmental hygiene in the kitchen, disinfect all work surfaces and utensils before preparing each type of food item on them using either a kitchen cleaner spray or solution consisting of 1 tablespoon (15ml) of chlorine bleach in 4 cups (1 litre) of water.
5. Ensure your meats have been cooked thoroughly.
Undercooked meats can be a breeding ground for dangerous pathogens like salmonella or E. coli, so it’s imperative that all meat products are cooked to the correct temperature and for an adequate period of time. Use a food thermometer to make sure poultry has reached an internal temperature of at least 74degC; beef, pork, lamb or veal should reach 63degC.
6. Prevent Cross-Contamination While Cooking
To reduce the risk of cross-contaminating foods with potentially hazardous bacteria from raw meats and other items, always use separate cutting boards and utensils for each type of food item – colour-coded boards for different kinds of raw produce – and be sure to wash them thoroughly between uses. You may also want to consider wearing food-safe gloves while cooking in order to minimize transmission from your hands.
7. Serve food immediately after it has been cooked.
Bacteria can grow on food very quickly, so be sure to serve any cooked items immediately after they’ve finished cooking. If you need to keep something warm for a short period of time, place it in an oven preheated at 75degC or use an insulated container such as a thermos flask filled with hot water.
8. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Any leftover food should be stored in the refrigerator within two hours of being cooked, otherwise harmful bacteria can multiply rapidly and lead to food poisoning. Make sure all leftovers are stored separately in covered containers and aim to use them up within 2-3 days.