Food Poisoning – Make sure it doesn’t happen to you!
If you have ever had food poisoning you will know it is certainly no laughing matter. Ever had a ‘dodgy tummy’ and just put it down to ’must be something I ate last night’? Chances are that it probably was! Most food poisoning symptoms are only mild so normally go unreported. New research by the Food Standards Agency (2014) has reported that more than 500,000 cases of food poisoning a year are from known pathogens (a disease-producing organism) and double that amount from unknown pathogens.
Which foods would you say were most likely to be linked to food poisoning?
Top spot goes to poultry meat, second spot to produce including vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, and third spot goes to beef and lamb.
The subject of food poisoning is a vast one and one that every cook should be aware of. You want your guests to remember how delicious your food was, not how long they spent in hospital as a result of eating it! So this will be the first in a series of articles looking at different areas of food poisoning and how it may occur. Check out this page regularly for my latest posts.
What is food poisoning and how can it occur?
Food poisoning can be defined as an acute illness which can come on suddenly caused by recently eating contaminated or poisonous food. Symptoms include one or more of the following; stomach pain, diarrohea, vomiting and nausea.
How does food become contaminated?
There are several ways food can become contaminated.
Here are a few examples:
* Storage – not storing food correctly or at the right temperature, particularly the storage of meat and dairy products. Stored incorrectly allowing cross contamination etc. OR leaving cooked food out at room temperature for a long period of time and then eating it.
* Cooking – food not being cooked correctly i.e. under cooking or not being cooked to the correct core temperature. Adequate cooking normally kills bacteria.
* Poor Food Hygiene – contamination caused by the person not washing their hands properly.
* Food Preparation – for example, cross contamination caused by not washing a chopping board used for raw meat and then using the same board for bread or any ready to eat items. Storing raw meat above ready to eat items and juices dripping on the food below.
* Freezing and thawing – food, in particular poultry, that has been frozen and not adequately thawed before cooking, food left out to thaw at room temperature for a long period of time, food that has been thawed and then refrozen.
How can you prevent it in your home?
There are four main areas that can help prevent food poisoning:
Cleanliness –
* Keep surfaces and kitchen utensils clean.
* Wash and dry your hands properly as already outlined in our previous food safety article.
* Do not prepare foods for other people if you have sickness and/or diarrhoea
* Cover sores and cuts with waterproof plasters.
* Replace dish cloths and used tea towels on a regular basis.
Cooking:
* Food should be cooked thoroughly, especially meat. It should be cooked right through and piping hot in the middle. This also applies when re-heating food.
* Do not re-heat food more than once.
Chilling:
* Chilled food should be chilled and not left out at room temperature.
* Your fridge should be kept between 0c and 5c and remember to keep the door shut! If your fridge hasn’t got a temperature gauge then maybe invest in one that can be placed in the fridge.
* Leftover food should be cooled as quickly as possible and then refrigerated. This can be done by placing it in another cold dish and placed in a cool area (covered of course to protect from those summer flies!).
Cross-contamination:
* Make it a habit to wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw uncooked meat or fish
* Separate raw and cooked or ready to eat items.
* Make sure uncooked meat is stored in an airtight container at the bottom of your fridge.
* Make sure you use separate dedicated chopping boards for raw and cooked ready to eat products.
* Wash utensils after preparing raw foods.
* Keep food covered when standing out in the kitchen to prevent contamination by pests such as flies.
Which food groups are most likely to give you Food Poisoning?
This group of foods we call High Risk Foods. You should pay particular attention to these because these are the foods that are most likely to cause you and your family, friends and guests food poisoning. They are foods that are ready to eat, that don’t need any further cooking and foods that are perfect places for bacteria to live and grow.
Examples of high risk foods are:
* Cooked meat and fish
* Gravy, stock, sauces and soup
* Shellfish
* Dairy products such as milk, cream and soya milk
* Cooked rice
Our next subject in this food poisoning series will be a seasonal one (when the weather allows, that is)….The Summer Barbecue!
Until then, Cook Safe, Keep Safe!
