Food poisoning is a nuisance for pretty much everybody, with one-in-six Americans getting ill each year. It can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and other unpleasant side effects. This definitely isn’t fun for anyone, but for some it can even be deadly. Young children, the elderly, the immunocompromised, and those who are pregnant or who suffer from chronic health issues are at a high risk of more serious injury.
No matter how much you wash and clean your produce, or inspect your food, some foods are naturally more likely to be carriers of these nasty illness-causing bacteria, viruses, parasites, or other contaminates.
Uncooked meats, dairy, vegetables, and produce are at the highest risk of being contaminated with food poisoning pathogens. Because of this, it is important to always cook your raw/uncooked products to safe, regulated temperatures. For all chicken and turkey products, this means 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest, most internal part of the meat; for fish and whole cuts of beef and pork, this means 145degrees Fahrenheit. And last but not least in the meat department, for ground beef, veal, and any product containing eggs, this is 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Meats and seafood normally eaten raw, such as ceviche and raw sushi, should definitely be avoided (at least by those with the aforementioned risk factors), as there is no way to tell if they’ve been contaminated.
Produce such as milk, eggs, cream, and yogurt should also not be consumed raw. Instead, eat these products when they are, or contain, only pasteurized milk and eggs in order to avoid risky pathogens. Other foods such as soft cheeses, for example feta and brie, are dangerous and should be avoided by those with a risk factor. Instead of the soft cheeses, eat hard cheeses, such as mozzarella.
Furthermore, when it comes to eggs, it is important to never consume them raw – this includes avoiding eating raw dough or batter containing raw eggs. As common carriers of Salmonella, raw eggs can be dangerous. If a recipe calls for raw eggs, use pasteurized eggs. And if you are tempted to eat the cookie dough before baking the cookies, buy edible cookie dough. It is also exigent to be aware of the expiration dates, especially in dairy products.
Another group of at-risk foods are unwashed vegetables, especially sprouts. Sprouts have a long history of being the source of food poisoning outbreaks, mostly due to the conditions in which they are grown . Since they are grown close to the ground and in warm, humid weather, bacteria tends to flourish in these vegetables. And if they aren’t washed and handled properly, then bacteria such as Salmonella or E.coli can be present when consumed. If someone plans on eating sprouts, then it is best that they are cooked first. This also goes for any other vegetable, so if you plan on eating vegetables raw, such as lettuce in a salad mix, then wash the produce thoroughly before consumption. Also, when cutting fruit or vegetables, realize that bacteria on the surface can be transferred inside the fruit during the cutting process – such as with cantaloupes.
Lastly, food safety is important. Even if the product mentioned above already comes “pre-washed”, or pasteurized, or if you intend to cook it to the proper internal temperature, these are not a replacement for good personal hygiene. Washing your hands before and after dealing with any foods, raw or not, is imperative to preventing the many outbreaks that stem from a lack of hygiene. Preventing cross-contamination is also necessary, such as avoiding using cutting boards with different foods, and using different knives while preparing foods. A food thermometer can also come in handy, as it can confirm whether you have cooked the product to the proper temperature.
In order to prevent illness, it is vital that one follows all proper food safety regulations, and pays attention to updates released on local food poisoning outbreaks.
