Ecoli Prevention: Safe Food Handling

Our hearts go out to consumers in Europe who have lost their lives and gotten sick due to the recent Ecoli outbreak.  Ten people have died in Germany alone and other cases have been reported worldwide.  The United States is fortunate in that we have agencies in place that work tirelessly to ensure the safety of our food supply.  United States Drug Administration (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are responsible for providing consumer protection.  Theses agencies often work together to ensure that foods are handled properly before they even reach our stores.  

Even with those agencies in place to protect United States consumers, there are somethings that we can do ourselves to help prevent Ecoli in our home:

In the kitchen:

Avoid cross contamination with raw meat, especially, beef.  Ecoli can spread easily from meat to other surfaces.

Wash hands frequently, with soap and water, when handling raw meat, especially before touching anything else in the kitchen.  Don’t handle vegetables and raw meat at the same time.

Use separate cutting boards for raw meats and vegetables.

Disinfect cutting boards between uses with a solution of bleach and water.  Ecoli can grow on such surfaces and should be washed thoroughly, disinfected, dried and stored properly. 

Ensure the safe cooking temperature of meat by using a meat thermometer.  The internal temperature should be 160 degrees.

Make sure to drink chlorinated water.

Outside of the kitchen:

Avoid physical contact with a person who has diarrhea or stomach flu.  Don’t handle anything that they touch and disinfect surface areas with bleach and water or household disinfectants.

When changing a baby’s diaper, who has diarrhea, use disposable gloves.  And wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.

Use a spray disinfectant or bleach and water to clean surface that may have been infected by someone who was ill with diarrha and stomach flu.

Eating out:

Take care whenever eating out.  Inspect your meats; make sure they are properly cooked.  Also, take note of the food handling practices.  Don’t be afraid to bring attention to a food preparer who isn’t washing his/her hands between taking money and handling food.  I walked out of a cafe because the gentleman who was taking orders was also moping the floor when I walked in.  He didn’t wash his hand before returning to the kitchen area.  I can only imagine what bacteria that was floating around that place.  I never returned.  

If you have ever had food poisoning, you know the importance of taking precautions and preventive measures.  Practice preventive care when handling foods to help eliminate the possiblity contracting the Ecoli disease.

You can read get more information about Ecoli and how to prevent it here.

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