AQUIFEREnvironmental Health | Food | Safety
Food and Safety Class
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Contamination Sources
Bacteria
- Bacteria are living, single-celled organisms. Of all micro-organisms, bacteria are the greatest concern to food safety. They can be carried by water, wind, insects, plants, animals and people. Bacteria survive on skin, clothes, hair, scabs, the mouth, nose, throat and intestines.
- Pathogenic Bacteria feed on potentially hazardous foods and multiply quickly, thus causing disease.
- Toxigenic Bacteria produce harmful toxins as they multiply, die and break down.
- Bacteria production increases when combined with food, moisture, temperatures and PH. Numbers double in 20 minutes.
Viruses
- Viruses are sub-microscopic, and the smallest and simplest life form known to man. They grow and multiply only in living cells, not in food. Viruses are transmitted to humans by food or food-contact surfaces. Contamination occurs by poor hygiene, by food handlers, water and shellfish.
- Best defense--Good Personal Hygiene
Parasites
- Parasites are micro-organisms that need a host to survive. Trichinella and Giardia are common parasites.
- Best defense--Cook meats to propert temperatures
Grocery Shopping
- Buy cold (potentially hazardous) food last and get it home fast! Store the cold items in the coolest spot in the car or store them in a cooler.
- Don't buy anything you won't use before the use-by or expiration date. Buy only appropirate amounts.
- 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. Packaged food should have no tears or holes.
- Place raw meats, poultry and seafood on the undercarriage of your cart. Pack in spearate grocery bags.
Food Storage at Home
- Check the temperature of your refrigerator with an appliance thermometer (keep in unit). Refrigerators should run at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, freezers at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, keep the refrigerator as cold as possible without freezing your milk or lettuce.
- Store raw meats, fish and poultry below and away from other foods (lowest shelf). Store on a plate in the refrigerator so their juices won't drip onto other foods. Raw juices often contain bacteria.
- Raw animal products and cooked foods should not be kept for more than one to three days.
- Space items in the refrigerator and freezer so that air can circulate freely around them.
- Keep the interior of the refrigerator and freezer clean. Pack perishables in coolers when cleaning or defrosting your refrigerator or freezer.
- When in Doubt, Throw it Out!
Preparing to Prepare
- Wash your hands! Use hot soapy water for 15-20 seconds and dry with paper towels.
- Keep everything that touches food clean--hands, utensils, bowls, counter tops, etc. Clean your work area.
- Bacteria can live in kitchen towels, sponges and cloths. Wash them often. Replace sponges every few weeks.
- Cover cuts and scrapes on your hands.
- Avoid rubbing your face and nose with your hands.
Foor Preparation
- Thaw foods in the refrigerator or as part of the cooking process or use a microwave or running water. Never thaw at room temperature (thaw below 41 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Avoid cross-contamination! Use separate cutting boards, trays and utensils for cooked and uncooked meat, poultry and fish.
- Keep meat juices from coming into contact with other foods, cooked or raw. Wipe contact surfaces with a paper towel first, then with hot soapy water (50 ppm bleach solution).
- To sanitize: use two or three teaspoons of household bleach in one quart of warm water. Rinse with plain, hot water.
- Use plastic or hardwood cutting boards. Replace when they become worn with many grooves because they are hard to clean.
- When marinating meat, seafood or poultry, use a covered, non-metallic container and place it in the refrigerator (prevents metal leaching). Do not use a marinade that has been in contact with a raw product without first bringing the marinade to a boil for at least one minute.
Cooking
- It takes thorough cooking to kill harmful bacteria.
- Cook eggs, pork, lamp, red meat at 160 Degrees F.
- Cook poultry at 180 degrees F.
- Cook Fish at 150 degrees F.
- General Rules/Safety Standpoint:
- Hamburger should be cooked throughout (no red).
- Rare/medium-rare steaks and roasts are considered under-cooked.
- Visual Check:
- Red meat when cooked should be brown, gray inside.
- Poultry juices when cooked should run clear.
- Fish when cooked should flake easily with a fork.
- Eggs when cooked have a firm yolk, not rubbery and not runny.
- Cook stuffing separately, not inside the cavity of the bird.
- Set oven temperature at no less than 325 degrees F. Avoid long or overnight cooking. Avoid partially cooked food.
- Always use a thermometer to check internal temperature.
Serving Food
- Never leave food out for more than two hours!
- Use clean plates and utensils, not those used for food preparation. Put grilled foods on a clean plate, too.
- Buffet serving: Hold food at temperatures. Cold foods at or below 41 degrees F. Hot foods at or above 140 degrees F.
- Pack lunches in insulated carriers with a cold pack. Caution children never to leave lunches in direct sunlight.
- Carry picnic food in a cooler with a cold pack. When possible, put the cooler in the shade. Keep the lid on as much as possible.
- Party time? Keep cold party food on ice or serve it throughout the gathering from platters kept in the refrigerator.
Leftovers/Reheating
- Freeze or refrigerate leftovers immediately.
- Place in small, shallow containers (less than 2" deep).
- Cut large portions into smaller portions. Meat, fish and poultry should be wrapped securely.
- Leave room surrounding the container (product) so cold air can circulate. Stir during cooling.
- Eat within three to four days and reheat all foods to 165 degrees F or steaming hot. Microwave using a lid or vented plastic wrap.
How long is too long?
- Perishable foods should be used within one to three days.
- DANGER - Never taste food that looks or smells strange when you want to see if you can use it. Discard it.
- If mold has developed, just throw it out.
- Hard cheeses can be reconstituted by trimming the mold (1 1/2 inch). Soft cheeses and most other foods should be thrown out.
General Notes
- Without power, a full upright or chest freezer will keep everything frozen for about two days, and a half-full freezer about one day.
- Keep freezer/refrigerator door shut.
- For an extended period out of the freezer or refrigerator, such as taking food to friends, use dry ice.
- A refrigerator will keep food cool four to six hours.
- Never eat raw seafood, meat, poultry, eggs (raw egg products) or unpasteurized milk or unpasteurized dairy products.
- Direct sneezes and coughs away from food. Cover mouth and nose with tissue when sneezing. Always wash hands after sneezing or coughing.
- Always wash, clean and consume potable water.
- Sick persons in the home should not handle or prepare food for the family. A sick person should use a paper towel or his or her own hand towel for drying hands.
- Wash, rinse, sanitize and air-dry dishes and utensils. Avoid drying with a towel.
- Food poisoning can develop within 30 minutes to two weeks (usually 4 to 48 hours) after consuming contaminated food. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever or cramps. If symptoms are severe or the victim is very young, old, pregnant or already ill, call a doctor or go to the hospital right away. If you ate at a restaurant within three days before you became ill, let the health department know.
- Day Care setting: Make sure employees practice appropriate santiation and food handling.
- When picnic/camping, pack chilled foods (at or below 40 degrees F) in a cooler with ice or ice pack.
- Store cooler in the shade and keep the lid closed.
- Store thermometer in the cooler (41 degrees F or below).
- Avoid raw food contamination--keep separate.
- Take along moistened towelettes.
Restaurant/Fast Food Eating
- Make sure food is cooked thoroughly.
- Hamburgers: Make sure there is no pink and juices run clear.
- Watch employees' hygienic practices, etc.
- Look at past inspection reports at the heatlh department.
- Look at the cleanliness of the restrooms and customer areas; if they are dirty, the kitchen is probably worse.