Aspects of Food Safety
by Pendio Chussig
A comprehensive study carried out by the Food Safety
Project at Iowa State University Extension, brought out
that there are a series of events that take place between
purchasing food at the grocery store and its preparation
and subsequent storage. Unless recommended precautions are
observed to ensure proper preparation and storage to
obviate spoiling of food, chances are that you would fall
ill owing to consumption of the same.
The series of events commences from purchasing of the
food. When buying a lot of groceries, ensure that you
purchase meat or poultry items last. This is because these
items need to remain cool until you can get them home.
Take additional precaution of keeping these items
segregated from other items when placed in the cart. They
should especially be away from other foods like fresh
fruits and vegetables. Meat and poultry items should be
placed on the lowest level of the grocery as that ensures
that they do not drip on any other item. It is a great
idea to wrap them in independent plastic bags to keep them
away from other items.
Amongst packaged foods, anything that is open or broken
should be avoided. Also avoid canned goods that have
dents, popped lids or any blemishes. When buying food, it
is prudent to always check the expiration date lest you
buy something that is already getting bad.
The next step is to store all purchased goods. Foremost
is to re-wrap meat and poultry into individual plastic
wraps and refrigerate or freeze them immediately. As a
choice, all canned goods should be placed in a cool and
ventilated place that is often cleaned. The golden rule
is store intelligently while first addressing all foods
that need to be frozen or refrigerated.
When commencing to prepare the recently bought or stored
food, you must first wash your hands. This is critical to
remain healthy as it avoids transmission of germs that you
may be carrying owing to your other daily routines. Food
that has already been cooked or that which is to be
consumed raw must not come in contact with any juices from
raw meat, poultry or seafood. Any unused items must be
placed back immediately, and thawing of frozen items must
be carried out in the refrigerator and not on the kitchen
counter. Having prepared the meal, finish up with
cleaning the cutting board, the counter, the vessels and
lastly but most importantly; wash your hands.
To ensure that bacteria do not remain in your food, all
food must be cooked to the right temperature. Half cooked
or semi cooked food is a bed rock of active bacteria and
must be avoided. Usage of a meat thermometer is
recommended if there is any doubt on the internal
temperature of your food.
The food should be served after it has been cooked
(cooking step). Before serving the food, do remember to
wash hands. The hot foods should be kept above 140 degrees
F and the foods that have to be served cold should be
served under 40 degrees F.
The left over foods should be refrigerated fast after the
meal is over. If the food has been out for too long before
refrigeration, its probably best to put in the trash. Also
if the food has been stored for too long, throw it away.
Properly refrigerated left-over should be reheated
thoroughly before consuming.
| Pendio Chussig is the proprietor of
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