Safeguarding Your Food: Knowledge about Handling, Processing of
Food to Keep away Food Poisoning and Food Borne Illness
Every year, an estimated 7 million Americans suffer from cases of food borne illness. Some cases are violent and
even result in death. Of course this is commonly known as “food poisoning.” The culprit is food that has
dangerously high levels of bacteria due to improper cooking or handling.
Food safety is usually taken for granted by the buying public but everyone’s attention was recently directed to
food poisoning involving some meat that was undercooked. It was determined that the problem never would have happened
if the meat had been cooked properly. E.Coli 0157.H7 is a potent virus, but it can be completely destroyed when the
meat is fully cooked.
It is important for consumers to take an all-around safety approach to purchasing, storing and preparing both traditional
and new meat and poultry products. Ultimately, consumers and food handlers bear the responsibility for keeping food
safe once it leaves the store.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 85 percent of food borne illness cases could be avoided each
year if consumers would handle food properly. The most common food borne illnesses are caused by a combination of
bacteria, naturally present in the environment, and food handling mistakes. Ironically, these are also the easiest
types of food borne illnesses to prevent. Proper cooking or processing of raw meat and poultry kills bacteria that
can cause food borne illness.
When you’re out, grocery shop last, take food straight home to the refrigerator. And never leave food in a hot car!
Don’t buy anything you won’t use before the use-by date. Don’t buy food in poor condition. Make sure refrigerated
food is cold to the touch. Frozen food should be rock-solid. Canned goods should be free of dents, cracks or bulging
lids which can indicate a serious food poisoning threat.
The performance and maintenance of your refrigerator is of the utmost importance. Check the temperature of your
refrigerator with an appliance thermometer. To keep bacteria in check, the refrigerator should run at 40 degrees
F; the freezer unit at 0 degrees F. Generally, keep your refrigerator as cold as possible without freezing your milk
or lettuce.
When you prepare food, keep everything clean and thaw out any frozen food you plan to prepare in your refrigerator.
Take it out of the freezer in advance and place it in the refrigerated section of your refrigerator. Always wash
your hands in hot soapy water before preparing and handling any food as well as after you use the bathroom, change
diapers, handle pets, etc. Remember, too, that bacteria can live in your kitchen towels, sponges and dish cloths.
Wash them often and replace the dish cloths and sponges you use regularly every few weeks.
Be absolutely sure that you keep all raw meats, poultry and fish and their juices away from other food. For instance,
wash your hands, your cutting board and knife in hot soapy water after cutting up the chicken and before dicing salad
ingredients. It is best to use plastic cutting boards rather than wooden ones where bacteria can hide in grooves.
Don’t take your food out of the freezer and leave it on the kitchen counter to thaw. This is extremely dangerous
since the bacteria can grow in the outer layers of the food before the inside thaws. It is wise to do your marinating
in the refrigerator too.
Colostrum and E.Coli – Recent studies indicate colostrum’s role in the reversal of many chronic problems associated
with the gastrointestinal tract (GI) which cause pain, swelling and inflammation. Patients with infections like Candida
albicans (yeast), cryptosporidia, rotavirus, herpes simplex, pathogenic strains of E.coli, and intestinal flu were
shown to have marked improvements and in some cases a complete cure was reported.