Thursday, July 10, 2014

Protect Yourself From Foodborne Illness

E. coli
This bacteria, usually associated with ground beef, vegetables and fruits, has been responsible for the most Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalls and receives the most media attention. Yet it infects only about 1 out of every 100,000 people exposed to it.

High-profile outbreaks have involved organic bean sprouts (Germany, 2011), cookie dough (Nestle Tollhouse, June 2009), ground beef (JBS Swift Beef Co., June 2009), green onions (Taco Bell, 2006) and bagged spinach (Mission Organics, 2006).

E. coli 0157:H7, the most common infectious strain of the bacteria, causes severe bloody diarrhea, pain, vomiting and usually little to no fever.

Infected people can also develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), in which E. coli bacteria enter the blood stream and destroy red blood cells. The damaged cells clog the tiny renal blood vessels, leading to kidney failure.

Protect Yourself
Even if you don't know how your food is processed or grown, you can ward off foodborne illnesses.

Here are seven food safety tips to outsmart the harfmul microbes lurking in your food:

1. Turn Up the Heat
Cook poultry to 180 degrees and meat to about 160 degrees, advise Purdue University food safety experts.

"Cooking to the recommended temperatures will kill" the bad organisms, Beattie says.

But use a food thermometer, not your eyes, to be sure it's done, says Catherine H. Strohbehn, Ph.D., a food-safety specialist and professor at Iowa State University. "Color is not a true indicator of 'doneness.'"

Most fish should be cooked to 140 degrees, but tuna, swordfish and marlin only have to be cooked to 125 degrees.