| How to Minimize Food Risks |
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By Lance Gay
Scripps Howard News Service You can't eliminate the risks of food-borne illness at summer picnics or any other time -- but you can minimize them. Mark Kantor, an associate professor of agriculture at the University of Maryland who specializes in food safety issues, says the globalization of food production that has, for example, brought strawberries to northern supermarkets in mid-winter, means Americans have to become more savvy about how they handle food. "No matter what we do in this country, you can't control what other countries do,'' Kantor said. He said mutations of old microbes, and the appearance of new ones means that consumers have to be aware of changing risks. Few Americans, he said, were aware five years ago of the risks of e-coli in pasteurized apple cider, or Listeria on deli meats that can thrive in refrigerators. What that means is that children should never be given unpasteurized apple cider, and pregnant mothers shouldn't eat deli meat that hasn't been cooked again. The government's Partnership for Food Safety Education has some other tips in their "Fight Bac" or fight bacteria program. They are: - Clean: Wash hands and food preparation surfaces frequently for 20 seconds each time, and use plastic or non-porous cutting boards.
- Separate: Keep meats separate from other foods both in the grocery shopping cart, and in the refrigerator. Don't allow the juices from meat to drip on other foods, and never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.
- Cook: Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperatures, and cook roasts and steaks to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit, ground meat to 160 degrees, and poultry to 180 degrees. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk and white are firm. Don't use recipes that use raw eggs.
- Chill: Set refrigerators to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and freezers to zero degrees. Never defrost or marinate on the kitchen counter, but use the refrigerator. Don't pack the refrigerator, but allow air to circulate when the door is closed.
On the Net: www.foodsafety.gov. (Contact Lance Gay at gayl@shns.com.) (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com)
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