Safety Tips When Ordering Take-out: Preventing Food Poisoning
Ordering take-out has become the equivalent to eating out nowadays, especially since due to the COVID-19 pandemic many restaurants no longer allow the dining-in option for the consumer’s safety. For many who prefer eating out or are unable to cook their food the only option left is ordering take-out, which may carry more risk than eating inside a restaurant. Restaurants have always been one of the most common sources of food poisoning outbreaks, whether it be due to negligence of the of those handling the food or due to the products used to make the food. With people ordering out more nowadays and being unable to see how their food is prepared or how it is handled before it reaches their homes, consumers need to practice proper safety measures to protect themselves and their loved ones.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have offered some tips for consumers to follow to lower the risk of food poisoning and to help them practice proper safety when ordering take-out. Some of the tips provided by the CDC advice consumers to do proper research before ordering from restaurants, looking at YELP reviews and Inspection Scores are good ways to investigate how the restaurants practice proper food-handling methods. Practicing proper food handling methods lowers the risk of spreading foodborne illnesses. Restaurants have a responsibility to offer their consumer safe food as such food handlers should always wear gloves, separate food products properly and sanities the utensils used for cooking properly. When take-out is ordered the person delivering the food should always wear gloves and avoid contact with the food as much as possible.
Consumers should always make sure their food is cooked properly as soon it arrives at their homes. Undercooked meat can cause foodborne illnesses, one good example is salmonellosis a foodborne illness that can be caused when meat is eaten raw or undercooked. Salmonella bacterium can thrive and multiply quickly in undercooked meat if the meat in the ordered dish looks raw or undercooked the consumer should avoid eating the delivered food and contact the restaurant. At times the foodborne illness can be caused by the raw veggies on the food in late February 2020, the CDC announced an E. coli outbreak linked to clover sprouts served by Jimmy John’s a popular sandwich franchise.
Consumers should always be vigilant of food products they order from restaurants, food poisoning and foodborne illness are always a risk when it comes to food but this risk can be minimized when properly following safety precautions. Restaurants owe it to their customers to follow proper food handling practices, sadly not all of them follow proper procedures especially when the customer is unable to see which is why consumers need to protect themselves. If a person experiences symptoms of food poisoning they should contact a medical health care provider to receive proper testing and medical treatment. They should also contact a food poisoning attorney to receive proper legal representation.
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/eatingout.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/08/822903487/how-safe-is-it-to-eat-take-out
