When it’s time to cook, flavor is your main concern. You want to tantalize your taste buds and enjoy every bite. However, there’s one part of meal prep you should never neglect: food safety.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48 million Americans experience food poisoning every year. Of those, 128,000 end up in the hospital. To ensure your meal doesn’t cost you a hospital visit, practice food safety every time you’re in the kitchen.
Basics of Food Safety
With a few simple steps, you can avoid most cases of foodborne illness. To enhance your food safety game, remember to do the following at cookouts and in the kitchen:
Divide and deter. Keep raw eggs, meat, fish and poultry away from fruits and vegetables. Bag them separately at the grocery store and keep them away from each other in the refrigerator. When cooking, use separate cutting boards to avoid cross-contamination.
Think about temperature. Growth of bacteria is most common between 40˚F and 140˚F. That is why the USDA calls that temperature range the danger zone. Avoid bacterial growth by not storing dairy products or meats at room temperature. Keep these and other perishable foods, such as fruits and vegetables, cold. When storing them in the fridge, keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40˚F. Cook all meats to the proper temperature and check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. After eating, place all leftovers in the refrigerator within two or fewer hours. If you’re outside and it’s hot, put leftovers on ice as soon as possible.
Clean your hands. Washing your hands before, during and after handling food helps prevent the spread of germs. Also, regularly wash counters, utensils and anything else that touches food. Wiping down counters, appliances and utensils may help limit the spread of germs.
When Your Food Gets Recalled
Occasionally, certain food gets recalled. While this can occur for many reasons, the most common causes for recall include:
- Detection of glass, metal or other non-food objects in food.
- Existence of a food allergen not listed on the food label.
- Presence of salmonella, parasites or other dangerous bacteria or organisms in the food.
Food recalls are announced through the media. However, there’s the chance you may miss the announcement and be at risk. Most chain grocery stores receive alerts and promptly pull the affected products, but if you’re curious you can ask your grocery store how they handle food recalls to ease your mind.
You can also take food safety into your own hands. Learn what foods have been recalled on the FDA website.
How and How Long to Store Food
Following a meal, place leftovers immediately in the refrigerator. Use air-tight food storage bags—not unsealed plastic bags—or plastic or glass storage containers. Don’t think you’ll eat leftovers in three or four days? Pack it up and put it in the freezer.
Ready-to-eat foods that require refrigeration should be eaten quickly. This includes cheese, potato salad, hot dogs and deli meat. Eat them within a week if possible. Otherwise, there is a risk of bacterial growth on your favorite foods. These foods may not smell bad but eating them can put your health at risk.
Store food in the freezer, and that food will last indefinitely. Even with freezer burn, frozen fruits, vegetables and cooked meats remain safe to eat. Though it may lose flavor or color over time, frozen foods retain their nutrients for the long haul. Just keep the freezer at 0˚F.
Deciphering “Best By” Dates
Most food you buy has a “Best By” or a “Use By” date, but these dates may not mean what you think. Surprisingly, none of them are expiration dates that tell you when a food is no longer safe to consume.
Here are explanations of common phrases you come across on foods.
- “Best By” lets you know when a food is freshest and full of flavor. After the date listed, the food likely remains safe to eat. It just won’t taste its best.
- “Freeze By” tells you how soon to freeze the food to retain its freshness.
- “Sell By” helps stores know how long to keep a food on its shelf. In most cases, the shelf life is much later than this date.
- “Use By” is like “Best By.” It helps you know when a food will lose freshness and flavor.
There is one exception to this rule. The “Use By” date on infant formula is a hard-and-fast rule. Trash any formula not used by the formula’s Use By date.
Food Safety with Other Conditions
Food poisoning can cause vomiting or diarrhea. You may then have a hard time eating and getting all the nutrients you need. Your blood sugar levels may also drop dramatically without regular nutrients.
While this is annoying for most people, if you have a chronic condition, such as diabetes, that drop in blood sugar can be dangerous enough to send you to the ER. So, if you have diabetes, heart disease or another chronic condition, take food safety seriously. Your good health will thank you.
Medically reviewed by Jessika Rose RD, LDN, Bariatric Dietitian at UM Upper Chesapeake Bariatrics Program
