h_food_safety

= FOOD SAFETY =

Watch this video on Food Safety.

Cook
Even for experienced cooks, the improper heating and preparation of food means bacteria can survive. Use a food thermometer – you can’t tell if food is cooked safely by how it looks. USE a food thermometer – you can’t tell if food is cooked safely by how it looks. FOOD is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that causes illness. REFER to temperature chart.

Clean
Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get on hands, cutting boards, knives, and counter tops. Frequent cleaning can keep that from happening. And always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food. WASH your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food. WASH cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food. Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, WASH them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine. RINSE fresh fruits and vegetables under cool running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten.

Separate
Cross-contamination is how harmful bacteria spread. Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood and their juices away from foods that won’t be cooked. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and their juices apart from other food items in your grocery cart. Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry and seafood and another for salads and ready-to-eat foods. Store raw meat, poultry, and seafood in a container or on a plate so juices can’t drip on other foods.

Chill
Bacteria multiply fastest at temperatures in the "Danger Zone", between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F), so chilling food properly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of food borne illness. Chill leftovers and takeout food within 2 hours. Keep the fridge at 4°C (40°F) or below and use an appliance thermometer. Thawmeat, poultry, and seafood in the fridge, not on the counter, and don’t over stuff the fridge

A foodborne illness is a disease that is transmitted to humans by food. Recent developments in diagnosing and tracking reported illnesses have helped the public become more aware that certain types of illness may be related to the food they ate prior to becoming sick. Moist, high-protein, and/or low acid foods are considered potentially hazardous. High protein foods consist, in whole or in part, of milk or milk products, shell eggs, meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, edible crustacea (shrimp, lobster, crab). Baked or boiled potatoes, tofu and other soy protein foods, plant foods that have been heat-treated, and raw seed sprouts (such as alfalfa or bean sprouts) also pose a hazard. These foods can support rapid growth of infectious or disease-causing microorganisms.
 * What is foodborne illness? **

Food becomes hazardous by contamination. Contamination is the unintended presence of harmful substances or microorganisms in food. Food can become contaminated from chemical, physical or biological sources.
 * How does food become hazardous? **

**//Chemical hazards://** Chemical hazards include substances such as cleaning solutions and sanitizers.

**//Physical hazards://** Physical hazards are foreign particles, like glass or metal.

**//Biological hazards://** Biological hazards come mainly from microorganisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Cross-contamination is the transportation of harmful substances to food by:
 * What is Cross-contamination? **
 * Hands that touch raw foods, such as chicken, then touch food that will not be cooked, like salad ingredients.
 * Surfaces, like cutting boards or cleaning cloths, that touch raw foods, are not cleaned and sanitized, then touch ready-to-eat food.
 * Raw or contaminated foods that touch or drip fluids on cooked or ready-to-eat foods.

Of all the microorganisms, bacteria are the greatest threat to food safety. Bacteria are single-celled, living organisms that can grow quickly at favorable temperatures. Some bacteria are useful. We use them to make foods like cheese, buttermilk, sauerkraut, pickles, and yogurt. Other bacteria are infectious disease-causing agents called pathogens, that use the nutrients found in potentially hazardous foods to multiply. Some bacteria are not infectious on their own, but when they multiply in potentially hazardous food, they eject toxins that poison humans when the food is eaten. Food handling practices are risky when they allow harmful bacteria to contaminate and grow in food. If you touch a food during preparation, you may transfer several thousand bacteria to its surface.
 * What is the greatest threat to food safety? **

Bacteria can live in hotter and colder temperatures than humans, but they do best in a warm, moist, protein-rich environment that is pH neutral or low acid. There are exceptions—some bacteria thrive in extreme heat or cold. Some can survive under highly acidic or extremely salty conditions. Bacteria grow fastest in the temperature range between 41F (5C) and 135F (57C), which is known as the Temperature Danger Zone.
 * What conditions encourage bacteria to grow? **

Bacteria like Staphylococci are found on the hair, skin, mouth, nose and in the throat of healthy people. According to one estimate, nearly 50 percent of healthy food handlers carry disease agents that can be transmitted by food. The most important tool you have to prevent foodborne illness is good personal hygiene. Personal hygiene is the way a person maintains their health, appearance and cleanliness. Not only can you become the victim of illness, but you can also be the carrier! A cough or sneeze can transmit thousands of microorganisms that may cause disease.
 * How can I handle food safely? **

Now, try the following quiz and safety test:

= Food Safety Quiz = 1. T or F After buying poultry, you should remove the store wrapping, wash the meat thoroughly and rewrap it before refrigerating or freezing.

2. T or F You store an already opened bottle of salad dressing in the refrigerator. You notice the dressing has become cloudy. You should discard the dressing because of possible contamination.

3. T or F Eating rare hamburger is riskier than eating rare steak.

4. T or F You usually can tell if a food is contaminated by how it looks, smells or tastes.

5. _ Which of these is still safe to eat after sitting at room temperature for more than two hours? (A) baked potato, (B) meat loaf wrapped in foil, (C) meat loaf in a pan, (D) boiled rice, (E) none of the above.

6. T or F Adding mayonnaise to food increases the risk of food poisoning.

7. _ Which of these CANNOT be safely stored at room temperature? An already opened jar of peanut butter, an unopened canned ham, an opened can of solid shortening. P. S. We assume the peanut butter will be stored with the lid tightly shut and the shortening will also be stored with a lid in place.

8. T or F When packing foods for a picnic, it’s better to keep the cooler in the trunk while you travel than in the car.

9. T or F Eggs will stay fresh longer when stored in the refrigerator’s egg holder than when left in their original container.

10. T or F You bring raw steaks to the barbecue on a plate and place them on the barbecue with tongs. When the steaks are finished grilling, it is NOT safe to remove them with the same tongs or put them back on the same plate.

View the answers here:

Food Safety Test
Directions: Read the following story and list all of the food safety mistakes.

Melanie has decided to make a special meal for her family. She arrives at the grocery store and selects a package of steak to make fajitas. She places the steak in the top portion of the shopping cart. She then goes to the produce section and purchases lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. She places these items in the bottom of her shopping cart. Melanie spends a total of 45 minutes in the store. On her way home, she drives for 30 minutes and decides to stop for ice cream, since it is a hot summer day. Melanie spends 30 minutes at the ice cream shop, leaving the groceries in the back seat of her car. From the shop, it takes her another 15 minutes to get home.

Melanie parks in the garage and pauses to pet Pug, the family dog on her way into the house. She goes into the kitchen and places her groceries on the countertop. She gets a knife and cutting board and begins to slice the steak. She drops a piece of steak on the floor, but quickly picks it up and places it back with the pile. She then places the steak in sauce to marinade on the countertop. Next, she washes the vegetables and places them on the same cutting board as the steak. Melanie then begins to cut her vegetables using the same knife she used to cut the steak. She lets the steak marinate for a couple of hours on the countertop and then cooks the steak and vegetables on the stove. When the food is cooked, she places it back in the marinade, still on the counter, and takes it to the table for her family.

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Predicting Outcomes: What do you think are the possible outcomes of Melanie’s mistakes?

Look up the mistakes here: