It was surprising to read that 5,000 Americans die each year due to food poisoning. This more than the total number of American soldiers lost in Afghanistan and Iraq since October, 2001. Another 325,000 are hospitalized do to food. What is most astonishing is how easily most U.S. citizens accept 13 deaths by food each day. What are some of the things we can all do to safely eat?
The good news is only 3% or 150 are due to unsafe food sources. According to the Center for Disease Control, 55% of the cases are due to the improper cooking or handling of food. 24% of the cases are the result of improper hygiene. So a great deal of our food safety is up to us. Here are some tips on digesting without dying:
• Keeping your hands clean while working with food is the single biggest means protecting you and your family. There are at least 20 different types of bacteria, according to the American Chronicle, trying to attack your food. By washing your hands and the food, you create a great defense against poisoning;
• There should not be pink in chicken or pork. People may like rare beef, but campylobacter is awaiting uncooked chicken and trichinosis is sneaking around uncooked pork. Both are painful and deadly;
• Summer is a time for picnics and reunions. It that potato salad or any other dairy recipe is not on ice or has been left out in the sun, pass on it;
• Be careful where you buy a cheeseburger. Most restaurants insist their employees keep their hands washed and the meat protected. Some amateurs may not be doing the same thing. If you buy a burger from a vendor without a reputation, make sure it is well done. E Coli is deadly;
• Finally, if you open a can of anything, and it smells funny or bad, throw it out. Food that is not canned or stored properly is an incubator for botulism.
All of the above is common sense – wash; cook and store at the right temperature; be careful where you buy your burgers, and don’t eat canned food that smells bad. The safest food in the world is in America, except for about 5,000 people per year. We control our own destiny on 97% of it.
Bon Appetite
