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Articles
Summertime! All those wonderful
fresh fruits and veggies, parties, barbecues, picnics! Along with
sunshine, recreation, and vacation, summertime food is probably the best
part of summer. And right along with planning safe vacations and
recreation, and sunning without sun burning, comes the issue of summertime
food safety.
Washing Produce
Keeping those magnificent summertime
fruits and vegetables safe tops the food safety list. Please enjoy
LOTS of fresh produce this summer. It's so good and so good for you.
We've touted the benefits of eating raw fruits and vegetables many times
and for many different health reasons. Here's another little reason
to keep in mind this summer - the more fresh fruits and veggies you eat,
the less junk food you'll want!
The USDA has lots of good food safety
advice on their web site. Here's what they have to say on washing
produce:
"Before eating or preparing,
wash fresh produce under cold running tap water to remove any lingering
dirt. This reduces bacteria that may be present. If there is a firm surface,
such as on apples or potatoes, the surface can be scrubbed with a brush.
Consumers should not wash fruits and vegetables with detergent or soap.
These products are not approved or labeled by the Food and Drug Administration
for use on foods. You could ingest residues from soap or detergent absorbed
on the produce.
When preparing fruits and vegetables,
cut away any damaged or bruised areas because bacteria that cause illness
can thrive in those places. Immediately refrigerate any fresh-cut items
such as salad or fruit for best quality and food safety."
[http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/washing.htm]
And keep in mind that ALL fresh produce
needs to be washed. This includes melons and other produce that you
may simply cut or peel. If the outside is contaminated with germs,
the knife you use to cut into the fruit will carry the contaminate with
it and distribute it through the fruit! We eat a lot of watermelon
at our house, and sometimes I just don't feel like lugging the whole watermelon
from the refrigerator to the sink. So we just plop the melon on the
counter and clean the surface of the rind with wet and then dry paper towels.
Keeping fresh produce in the refrigerator
that has been cleaned, chopped or sliced, and put in containers for easy
access, is a great way to see that your family enjoys lots of the good
stuff this summer. But only clean and prepare what you can use in
the next few days, as washed and prepared produce spoils more quickly.
Store unwashed produce in the refrigerator and wash as needed to keep fresh
longer.
Keeping it Clean
Food safety begins where food preparation
begins - in the kitchen. Now I know what you'll say, because I've
said it myself: "My kitchen is clean - I use
my washcloth to wipe everything all the time." But wait!
Our friendly USDA web site calls this statement "Myth #11" and here's their
reply:
"Every time you clean your
kitchen, you could be spreading bacteria! Bacteria need moisture, food
particles, and room temperature in order to survive and multiply.
Washcloths and sponges can provide the perfect environment for breeding
large colonies of harmful bacteria. To ensure that you're not spreading
bacteria, use the following steps:
-Do not use sponges in the kitchen,
since they are hard to clean and can harbor bacteria in the nooks and crannies.
-Start off each day with a clean
and dry wiping cloth.
-For proper cleaning, all surfaces
(counters, cutting boards, etc.) should be washed, rinsed, then sanitized.
Use hot soapy water followed by a clear rinse...."
[http://www.state.ak.us/dec/deh/sanitat/april/myth11.htm]
I don't know about you, but this advice
made me throw away our kitchen sponges! Yuk!
A handy tip we practice at our house
is using a sturdy plastic dish brush to prepare dishes and utensils for
the dishwasher. At the end of the day, the dish brush goes into the
dishwasher too. We also place our vegetable scrubbing brushes in
the dishwasher at the end of the day. And while we're talking about
handy tips, try running your dishwasher at the end of the day, so you're
greeted with clean dishes and a clean kitchen the next morning.
What's the Big Deal?
If you're not convinced that food
safety is important, get a load of the USDA's "Myth #1":
"'Oh,
I'll be OK. I just have a touch of the 24-hour flu.'
There is no such thing as the 24-hour
flu. It's food poisoning.
Most of the time when you or a family
member has a brief bout of the "flu" (the aching, upset stomach, diarrhea),
it is not flu at all. Food poisoning often produces the same symptoms as
the flu, and we often never associate these symptoms with something we
ate.
Part of the problem is that most
people don't realize that it takes from 24 hours with salmonella to 72
hours with camphylobacter for you to get sick. Therefore, you often don't
associate the illness with the food that you ate the day before.
Next time you have the 24-hour flu,
think about what you may have eaten yesterday!"
And if that's not bad enough, here's
"Myth #7":
"'Foodborne
illness is no big deal. After all, even if I get it, it's just a temporary
mild discomfort. I'll get over it.'
The sad fact is that foodborne illness
can be very serious, even deadly. Some pathogens ("bugs" that cause foodborne
illness) give rise to diseases far more serious than the uncomfortable
vomiting or diarrhea accompanying what most people call "food poisoning."
Foodborne infections can cause spontaneous abortion, reactive arthritis,
Guilliain-Barre syndrome (the most common cause of acute paralysis in both
children and adults), and HUS (hemolytic uremic syndrome), which can lead
to kidney failure and death."
(Read all the "myths" for yourself)
Check out more food safety info from
the USDA (including picnic safety).
Have a fun, safe, healthy and happy summer!
MORE SUMMER FOOD TIPS:
Healthy eating in restaurants and on vacation (really, it can be done --
with style and good taste!).
Healthy eating at summer shindigs (party, even BBQ, and stay healthy!).
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All articles and information on this website are for educational purposes only. They are not to be regarded or relied upon as medical advice. The articles and information have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. AIM products are not intended to cure, treat, heal, mitigate, or prevent a disease or illness. Results may vary per person. Consult your health practitioner if you have health problems.
copyright (c) 2001, 2002, 2003 Clarence Russell, Healthy Perspective.com
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