Many people will look at a slice of cheese with a little bit of mold on it and think “I can just cut that piece out.” But is that okay to do? Food safety is much more important than one may think. Making sure that food is safe to cook and eat will keep various foodborne illnesses away. Read on to learn more about those potential concerns, and how a person can ensure their food is safe to eat.
Healthy Tip Tuesday is brought to you in partnership with Trinity Health Systems
Ever let deli meat sit in the refrigerator for a week? Seen frozen chicken thaw out for several days in there? What about that vegetable that has a slightly different color, but seems okay. Are these all safe to eat, and how do we know? The National Food Safety website, linked here, has a great tracking app a person can use to check almost any food item. FoodKeep allows someone to browse by category of food, then it will prompt a search by fresh or frozen, and give the number of days after purchase it is good for. This app is currently only available on their website but has shown great results.
So why is making sure the food we eat is not contaminated? What are some of the foodborne germs?
The CDC shares these are the major ones:
Any of these can lead to becoming severely ill, and possible hospitalization. If you suspect a foodborne illness call your doctor and the local health department.
5 signs of severe food poisoning:
- Bloody diarrhea
- High fever over 102 degrees
- Frequent vomiting
- Signs of dehydration: dry mouth, little or no urination
- Diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days
How can food stay safe?
- Store it at the correct temperature.
- Do not cook or eat past the recommended date on the packaging or the food app
- Cook the food to the correct temperature.
- Cool the food correctly.
- Keep raw meats separate from foods that will not be cooked.
