Dangerous Food Safety Mistakes to Avoid

Make sure your kitchen is clean, safe and ready for summer picnics, cook-outs and other family meals by knowing and avoiding dangerous food safety mistakes. Sometimes a simple mistake can have very dangerous consequences. What may seem like a small food safety mistake can cause serious and sometimes long-term illness. When it comes to some germs, such as Salmonella, all it takes is 15 to-20 cells in undercooked food to cause food poisoning. And just a bite of food with botulism toxin can cause paralysis and even death.

So what are some of the most common food safety mistakes? The federal food safety website, http://www.foodsafety.gov , shares 10 common food safety mistakes that have been proven to cause serious illness.

• Mistake #1: Tasting food to see if it’s still good. Remember you can’t taste (or smell or see) the bacteria that cause food poisoning. Tasting only a tiny amount can cause serious illness. Throw food out before harmful bacteria grows.

• Mistake #2: Putting cooked meat back on a plate that held raw meat. Germs from the raw meat can spread to the cooked meat. Always use separate plates for raw meat and cooked beef. This also applies to poultry and seafood.

• Mistake #3: Thawing food on the counter. Germs can multiply quickly at room temperature. Thaw food safely in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave.

• Mistake #4: Washing meat and poultry. Washing raw meat or poultry can spread bacteria to your sink, countertops, and other surfaces in your kitchen. Don’t wash meat, poultry, or eggs.

• Mistake #5: Letting food cool before putting it in the fridge. Refrigerate perishable foods within 2 hours or within 1 hour if the temperature is over 90°F.

• Mistake #6: Eating raw cookie dough (or other foods with uncooked eggs). Uncooked eggs may contain Salmonella or other harmful bacteria. Always cook eggs thoroughly. Avoid foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs.

• Mistake #7: Marinating meat or seafood on the counter. Don’t give harmful bacteria the chance to multiply, marinate meat or seafood in the refrigerator.

• Mistake #8: Using raw meat, marinade on cooked food. Because germs from the raw meat can spread to the cooked food, you should always bring marinade to a boil if you plan to reuse.

• Mistake #9: Undercooking meat, poultry, seafood or eggs. Cooked food is safe only after it has been cooked to a high enough temperature. The only way to be sure foods have reached a safe temperature is to use a food thermometer.

• Mistake # 10: Not washing hands. Germs on your hands can get into the food that you and others eat. Wash our hands before handling and eating food. Hands should be washed 20 seconds with soap and running water.

Read more on this and other food safety topics at: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/basics/mistakes/index.html