GUEST COLUMN: Keeping food safe during warm-weather months

Carl Rachel
   With Memorial Day soon to launch the summer season, we’re asking your help to get word out about a few simple steps in keeping foods safe and avoiding food-borne sicknesses. This article walks the public through the key points to help ensure that area residents know what to look out for and how to shop for, prep, serve and keep foods in a healthy state.
   Keep your food safe at home, picnics and cookouts — “Ground” or “chopped” meat, chicken and ribs, fish, shellfish, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables — these items don’t seem hazardous, but they do have potential,” according to Carla Hobbs, director of the Environmental Health division of the Hunterdon County Division of Health.
   With this year’s summer season closing in on us, it’s prime time to consider that serious health problems can begin not only with the food on the table, but also with how it is kept and prepared. Following just a few safety steps can help ensure that meals are safe to eat.
   ”It’s essential that these potentially hazardous foods be kept in a safe temperature range,” according to Ms. Hobbs. “That means 135 degrees Fahrenheit and above when holding hot foods that were prepared correctly and 41 degrees Fahrenheit and below when refrigerating the products. It’s the temperatures between these points in which potentially harmful bacteria can grow in food.”
   Expanding on this notion, Ms/ Hobbs noted: “We call the 41-135 degree Fahrenheit range the ‘Danger Zone.’ Disease-causing organisms, if they’re present, are able to rapidly multiply within this temperature range. Many raw foods, including fruit and vegetables, some meats and particularly poultry, carry these bacteria into your kitchen. Fortunately, proper cooking processes will kill most of them.”
   Some 76 million Americans get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die each year from food-borne illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most common infections are those caused by Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 — organisms found in animals. Norovirus, another common cause of illness spread person-to-person, is not found in animals. Food- borne illnesses can cause fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and dehydration. In some cases, these illnesses can cause more serious health problems, even fatalities. For example, infection with E. coli O157:H7 can cause severe, bloody diarrhea, kidney failure, other severe complications and death.
   Keeping food safe begins with shopping. Pick up your dairy, meats and seafood last to minimize the amount of time these products are out of refrigeration. Place your raw meat products in plastic bags to prevent dripping and possible contamination of ready-to-eat foods. When storing raw meat at home, place it in a pan on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to reduce the threat that potentially contaminated juices come into contact with other foods.
   ”Ground” or “chopped” meat and poultry are among the most popular food items served at barbecues. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these items when bought fresh can be kept in the refrigerator for two days. When bought frozen, defrost the items by moving them into the refrigerator and allowing approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds of product. Never thaw frozen food by keeping it out of refrigeration — for example on the back porch, in the basement or on the kitchen counter.
   ”Special care is recommended when cooking hamburger,” according to Ms. Hobbs. “The food industry rule for temperature and time says one minute at 155 degrees Fahrenheit; at 160 degrees, bacteria are eliminated almost immediately. But you want to make sure to expose the entire meat product completely to these temperatures. On grills, sometimes only the meat in its center will be thoroughly cooked.” Health experts recommend checking internal temperatures of meats by using a probe-style thermometer.
   During and following food preparation, remember to wash hands to prevent cross contamination. “We also recommend sanitizing all utensils and kitchenware that touch any potentially hazardous raw food products,” Ms. Hobbs said. “This can be done by using one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water.”
   Meat and poultry leftovers should be placed in shallow containers and moved into the refrigerator immediately for rapid cooling. This is critical for minimizing harmful growth of bacteria. Likewise, the USDA recommends rapidly reheating leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter before serving again.
   For more information regarding food safety, contact the Hunterdon County Health Department at 908-788-1351 or the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 and visit the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site www.cdc.gov/foodsafety.
    Carl Rachel is director, media/public relations and strategic communications, Hunterdon County Division of Public Health.