Topic: Food Safety
Presenter: Diane Loewen
This program was subtitled, "Feed, don't poison your spouse". Everyone attending had some story to tell of getting sick after eating questionable food, and many ideas how to make food preparation safer.
Effective the year 2000, all food handlers in British Columbia are require to take a food handlers course, to learn how to stop the spread of and limit the growth of bacteria. It can take anywhere from 3 to 18 hours to make you sick. Many cases of food poisoning are not reported because symptoms are often slight, and the poisoning is regarded as the "flu". Bacteria thrive in warm dark and moist conditions. We need to avoid such conditions to the extent possible. What are the most common instances of improper handling of food?
As a food handler, there are several things one can do to keep food free of bacteria. Wash your hands for 15 to 20 seconds-- actively rubbing your hands with soap and running water. Be sure to wash between fingers and thumb and aroound the wrist. If you are in an area where the water may be suspect, use bleach in the wash water, solution 1:20. Change the bleach every two weeks, as it willl lose potency. To clean a cutting board, use a bleach solution of 1:10.
Purchase meats last when shopping, you will be able to get them to your refrigerator more quickly. When working in your kitchen, keep your hands away from your face & mouth. Marinate meats in the refrigerator, not out on a counter, and when the marinating is finished, throw it away, do not mix it with cooked food. Use all leftovers within 2-3 days.
Food can be contaminated by improper heating or cooking. Hamburger is one of the foods most affected by inadequate cooking, because it is handled more and mixing it subjects more of the meat to air. It should be cooked well done, while steak can be eated medium rare. Don't leave hot food out for more than 2 hours, put it in the refrigerator. When it is necessary to reheat it, reheat it hot, preferably using a microwave, don't just slowly reheat it on the stove. Thaw food in the microwave or refrigerator, or as is the case with frozen poultry, in cold water, changed frequently., not on the kitchen counter. Cut the mold from cheese one inch inside the mold line. Don't cool food down in large containers as it stays warm too long. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
Food can be contaminated by the equipment used to prepare it. Separate raw from cooked foods on the kitchen counter. Do not store raw food below cooked food to prevent any accidental dripping onto the cooked food. Don't bring barbequed food back to the table on the same plate it went out in before being cooked. Wash all fruits and vegetables, examples here were oranges and tomatoes with soap and water, rinse them well and dry them. Often it is believed that a fruit with peel, such as oranges, can be safely cut, but the knife will first come in contact with the peel.
If in Doubt, throw it out!