Food contaminated by bacteria, viruses and parasites (foodborne pathogens) can make you sick. Some people can have foodborne illnesses, also known as “food poisoning,” and not even know they have it.
Many people experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. You should see a doctor as soon as possible if you think you have a foodborne illness.
Not everyone who eats the same food will get food poisoning. The most at risk people are:
- Young children
- Pregnant women
- Elderly
- People with a compromised immune system
The Government of Canada estimates that there are about 4 million cases of foodborne illness in Canada every year.
In the USA, because of population, the statistics are higher. According the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) they estimate that each year 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.
Many foodborne illnesses can be prevented by following food safe habits.
These are 4 rules to follow in safe food handling:
- Clean
- Separate
- Cook
- Chill
Clean:
- Make sure your hands and the counters are clean before and after touching food.
- Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, sing a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to yourself or pretend you are in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy before the final season just before a surgical procedure.
- Avoid kitchen sponges, they are a breeding ground for bacteria, instead have a stack of clean dishcloths. Use a clean one every day and wash them in hot soapy water and air dry.
- Wipe counters with paper towels OR if you are using a dishcloth and you are wiping up after meat, fish or poultry throw the dishcloth in the laundry or wash the dishcloth in hot soapy water and air dry.
- To sanitize counters, use Health Canada’s recommendation of 5 mL/1 tsp bleach to 750 mL/3 cups water.
- Keep the inside of your fridge clean, wash out bi-weekly, wash out produce bins weekly.
- Wash your reusable grocery bags or bins, often.
- Wash out your cooler bags, often.
- Wash out lunch bags every day.
- Wash and use a mini scrubbing tool to wash out reusable straws.
- Rinse all produce under cold running water just before use including hard peeled vegetables and fruits i.e. watermelon, squash, muskmelon, etc.
- Use a vegetable brush on skinned produce like potatoes, apples, pears, etc.
Separate:
- Raw meat, fish, or poultry has the potential for cross contamination.
- Store raw meat, fish, and poultry away from other foods in separate containers to prevent any raw juices dripping on other foods. Best place to store them is on the bottom shelf.
- Use separate cutting boards for meat, fish and poultry and separate plates when cooking. Have a separate cutting board for vegetables and fruit.
- Never transfer cooked meat, fish or poultry on a plate that had raw meat, fish or poultry on it.
Chill:
- Let the food safety rule: Keep hot foods hot and cold food cold become your food safety mantra. The temperature danger zone for food is between 4 °C (40 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F). Keep foods above or below these temperatures.
- It starts in your refrigerator – keep it at 40°F/4°C or lower and your freezer at -18 °C (0 °F) or lower.
- Bring raw meat, fish, or poultry home from the grocery store and refrigerate as soon as possible or within two hours in the cooler months, in the summer, it’s ASAP.
- Store raw meat, fish or poultry no longer than two to three days in the refrigerator, any longer than that freeze and thaw as needed.
- When freezing foods place in a freezer bag or container to avoid freezer burn and label with the date.
- Don’t overcrowd your fridge, you need proper cold air circulation – if you haven’t seen the back of your fridge ever… then your food isn’t getting the proper air circulation.
- Thawing – even though your mom may have thawed frozen meat, fish, and poultry on the kitchen counter, doesn’t mean it gets the green light. NEVER thaw anything on the kitchen counter. Thaw in the fridge, in the microwave, or in a sink full of cold water changing the water every 30 minutes.
Cook:
- They only way to tell that meat, fish, and poultry is cooked is with a food thermometer. Investing in one is the most important tool in food safety you will have.
- Have a pot of chili on the stove for a crowd? Keep hot foods at or above 60ºC (140°F).
- Cooked meat, fish, and poultry should be stored in separate containers within 1-2 hours after being cooking and eaten within 2-4 days. Remember you can’t smell bacteria until it’s so far gone that food poisoning is sure to occur. When in doubt, throw it out.
- Here is a list of how long foods will last in your fridge under optimum conditions: USA CDC recommendations and the Canadian site which has different recommendations.
- Chill leftovers – chill as soon as possible, after a food stops steaming is the best bet. Anything that has been out longer than 2 hours at room temperature and that’s not in the summer has to be thrown out.
- Transporting a dish to a party? Keep it cold or keep it hot. Use thermal bags. For cold foods: cold air falls, pack the food with freezer packs on top of the food and on the sides. For hot foods: keep the food hot until just before you leave and heat as soon as you arrive and only if the drive was less than 30 minutes. If you are driving from Winnipeg to Brandon, Manitoba, don’t pack hot food at all. Offer to bring something cold.
Best before versus expiration:
Best Before means before a food loses its texture, appearance, quality. It doesn’t mean it’s expired.
They call it “durable life date, tells you when the durable life period of a prepackaged food ends.”
When you open it after the best before, it won’t be what the manufacturer wanted you to see and eat.
Best-before dates are not indicators of food safety, neither before nor after the date.
Best-before dates apply to unopened products only. Once opened, the food’s shelf life may change.
Expiration dates only apply to:
- formulated liquid diets
- foods represented for use in a very low-energy diet
- meal replacements
- nutritional supplements
- human milk substitutes