Food Safety

For the last few years, I have been periodically working in the kitchen like a master master chef… it doesn’t happen everyday; usually when there is something like christmas, or a birthday cake, or a bake sale, (sometimes because I feel I’m in love, and want to feed him the most delicious things my body can muster). That said, I think I may have invented something… something sweet, that I have never seen being sold anywhere, or photographed in any recipe book or magazine! That aside, it’s important for me to remember/ for us to know, that there are some important kitchen routines that people must learn about before feeding other people, (including themselves and their loved ones). So I collected a list of them.
This article is a bit extensive, and bits of it are commonly printed, but it’s my research and I can blog if I want to. All of this information is available through the Government of Canada (links and request for printed copy contact info below), because as socialist nation it seems to have noticed that suppling medical services to the sick is significantly more taxing and expensive than printing and distributing some handouts about food safety. For this process they divided safe food handling into 4-four main sections + some knowhow about feeding infants and small children.

Section 1 - Separate

Separate raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood from other food in your grocery cart and in your refrigerator. This is to ensure that you are not cross-contaminating your food.

Heat and proper cooking can kill bacteria. But people often eat raw fruit and vegetables. Because they are not heated or cooked, raw fruit and vegetables that have been contaminated by raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood may contain bacteria that can be harmful to you and others.

Shopping

• Buy cold or frozen food at the end of your shopping.

• Keep your raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood away from other food in your grocery cart, so you don’t spread food-bourne bacteria from raw food to ready-to-eat food.

• Put raw food in individual plastic bags (found in the produce section and at some meat counters) and pack them separately in your reusable grocery bags.

• If you use reusable grocery bags or bins, make sure to use a bag or bin specifically for raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood. Label the bag or bin with type of food it carries.

Refrigerator Storage

• Keep your raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood separate from other food in your refrigerator. Do thins by storing them in different containers.

• Place raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator so raw juices won’t drip onto the other food.

TIP: To help prevent food borne illness, avoid spreading liquids from packages onto other foods, cutting boards, utensils, dishes, and food preparation surfaces.

Section 2 - Clean

Properly cleaning your hands, kitchen surfaces and utensils, fruit and vegetables and reusable grocery bags will help eliminate bacteria and reduce the risk of food borne illness.

Hands

• Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds. Washing your hands prevents bacteria from transferring from your hands to food and surfaces.

• You should always wash your hands:
  - before and after you touch raw meat, poultry, fish or seafood;
  - after using the washroom;
  - after handling pets; or
  - after changing diapers

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

• Wash your fresh fruit and vegetables gently under cool, running, drinkable water before serving or cooking them.

• Use a vegetable scrub brush on produce that have a firm skin, such carrots, potatoes, melons and squash.

• Don’t soak your fresh fruit and vegetables in a sink full of water because the sink can harbour bacteria that can transfer to the fresh produce.

• It isn’t necessary to use anything other than water to wash your produce.

Kitchen Surfaces and Utensils

• If you have used a plate or utensils to handle raw food don’t use them again until the have been washed thoroughly in the dishwasher or in warm, soapy water. Alternatively; use clean plates and utensils.

• You may want to use the following solution to help sanitize surfaces and utensils:
  * Combine 5mL (1 tsp) of bleach with 750mL (3 cups) of water in a labelled spray bottle.
  * Spray the bleach solution on the surface/utensil and let stand briefly.
  * Rinse with plenty of clean drinkable running water and air dry (or use clean towels)

Reusable Grocery Bags

Wash your reusable grocery bags frequently, especially if you are carrying raw meat, poultry, fish or seafood.

Section 3 - Chill

It is extremely important to keep cold food cold and hot food hot so that your food never reaches the “temperature danger zone”. This is where bacteria can grow quickly and cause food borne illness.

Defrosting

• Defrost your raw meat, poultry, fish or seafood in the refrigerator, in a microwave or immersed in cold water.

• Food that has been defrosted in the microwave should be cooked as soon as possible after thawing.

• Don’t refreeze thawed food.

• If you are defrosting a large piece of meat, such as a turkey that not easily fit in the refrigerator, immerse it in cold water while keeping it in its original wrapping. Change the water often (for example, ever 30 minutes) to make sure that the water continues to stay cold.

• Immediately sanitize sinks, kitchen surfaces or containers that come in contact with raw meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.

Storing

• Keep your raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood cold. Refrigerate or freeze them as soon as you get home from the grocery store. Make sure that your refrigerator is set at 4°C (40°F) or lower and your freezer is at -18°C (0°F) or lower. This will keep your food out of the temperature danger zone, between 4°C (40°F) to 60°C (140°F) where bacteria can grow too quickly.

• Store deli meats in the refrigerator. Use pre-packaged deli meats within 4 days, preferably 2-3 days, after opening even if this date is different than the best-before date. Deli-meats slices at the grocer should also be eaten within 4 days, preferably 2-3 days.

• Store cut fruit and vegetables in refrigerator.

• You can cool leftovers quickly by placing them in shallow containers. Refrigerate as soon as possible.

• Never raw meat, poultry, fish or seafood or leftovers out on the counter for longer than 2 hours. After two hours room temperature, levels of bacteria in your food can become dangerous. You can’t tell it food is unsafe by it’s smell or taste. When in doubt, throw it out!

Section 4 - Cook

Proper cooking is the best way to make sure your food is safe to eat. Bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria are killed by heat.

Safe internal temperature

• Always remember to cook raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood to a safe internal temperature to avoid food-borne illness. You should use a digital food thermometer to check (see chart of ideal cooked meat temp.) Colour alone is not a reliable indicator that meat is safe to eat. Meat can turn brown before all the bacteria are killed.

• Remove the food from the heat and insert the digital food thermometer through the thickest part of the meat, all the way to the middle. Make sure that the thermometer is not touching any bones. For hamburgers, insert the digital food thermometer through the side of the patty, all the way to middle.

• If you are cooking for a number of pieces of meat, poultry, fish or seafood, make sure to insert the thermometer into several of the thickest pieces to verify that the appropriate temperature has been reached since food can cook unevenly.

Cross-Contamination

• Don’t use the same plates or utensils for raw and cooked meat, poultry, fish, or seafood because cross-contamination can occur. Raw juices can spread bacteria to your safely cooked food and this can cause food borne illness.

• Clean your digital food thermometer in warm soapy water between temperature readings to avoid cross-contamination.

Tips:

• Do not let children touch raw meat, poultry, or fish

• Do not serve raw alfalfa or bean sprouts to young children. Raw sprouts have been linked to outbreaks of salmonella and E.coli infection. Cooked sprouts are safe to eat.

• Never give children foods containing raw eggs (cookie dough, cake batter) and serve only pasteurized milk and juice to children.

Bonus Section: Food Safety for Children 5 and Under

Children ages five and under are at an increased risk for complications from food poisoning (food borne illness).

This is because their immune systems are still developing and they are unable to fight off infection as well as adults can Young children also produce less of the stomach acid that kills harmful bacteria, which make it easier for them to get sick.

What are the symptoms and complications that can develop from food borne illness?

Symptoms can vary from mild stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever/chills to extremely severe illness in young children can also lead to dehydration as their bodies are smaller and they can lose a high percentage of body fluid very quickly.

• Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
  Young children exposed to the bacteria E. Coli 0157:H1 can develop Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, a type of kidney failure and blood disorder that can be fatal, it is extremely important to cook ground beef (e.g. hamburgers) to 71°C and always wash young children’s hands before eating and after visiting a petting zoo or farm.

• Infant Botulism
  Do not give honey to a baby under 1-one year of age - it can cause a serious type of food poisoning called Infant Botulism. Infant Botulism is caused by bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which commonly exists in nature. If an infant swallows honey contaminated with spores may grow and could cause paralysis. Healthy children over one year of age can safely eat honey as their risk of developing infant botulism is very low.

Food to avoid giving children under age 5:

Some foods, such are those listed below, can be a high risk for young children to eat because of the way they are produces, and the conditions and length of time they are stored. You can minimize the chances of our child contracting a foodborne illness by avoid some types of food or by choosing a safer alternative.

• Dairy products
  Not with raw or unpasteurized milk
  - Pasteurized milk is a safer alternative

• Honey
  Not for children less than year or younger, do not put it on a soother or in baby food.
  - Wait until the child is older than 1 year old.

• Hot dogs
  Not straight from the package without further heating.
  - Cook hotdogs thoroughly to a safe internal temperature. The middle of the hotdog should steaming hot or 74°C (165°F)

• Eggs and egg products
  No raw or lightly cooked eggs or egg products, including salad dressings, cookie dough or cake batter, sauces and rinks such as homemade eggnog.
  - Egg dishes thoroughly cooked to a safe internal temperature. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm. Homemade eggnog must be heated to 71°C (160°F).

• Seafood
  Raw oysters, clams and mussels;
  - Cook until the shell has opened.
  Raw seafood such as sushi;
  - Seafood cooked to a safe internal temperature of 74°C (165°F)
  Refrigerated smoked seafood
  - Smoked seafood in cans that do not require refrigeration until after opening.

• Meat and poultry
  Raw or undercooked meat such steak tartare
  - Meat and poultry cooked to a safe internal temperature (see Internal Cooking Temperatures List)

• Fruit Juice and Cider
  Unpasteurized fruit juice and cider
  - Unpasteurized fruit juice and cider brought to a rolling boil and cooled. Pasteurized fruit juice and cider.

• Sprouts
  Not raw sprouts such as alfalfa, clover, radish and mung beans.
  - Thoroughly cooked sprouts is a safe alternative.

Internal Cooking Temperatures List:

You can’t tell by looking. Use a digital food thermometer to be sure!

Beef, Veal and Lamb

• 63°C (145°F) Medium Rare

• 71°C (160°F) Medium

• 77°C (170°F) Well done

Ground meat and meat mixtures
(e.g. burgers, sausages, meatballs, meatloaf, casseroles)

• 71°C (160°F) Beef, veal, lamb, pork

• 74°C (165°F) Poultry

Poultry (Chicken, Turkey, Duck)

• 74°C (165°F) Pieces

• 85°C (185°F) Whole

Pork

• 71°C (160°F) Pieces and Whole

Egg Dishes

• 74°C (165°F)

Others (for example, hot dogs, stuffing, leftovers, seafood)

• 74°C (165°F)

———
Canada Food and Safety Guide
Revised by:
Chladny, Julianne Claire (2019) “Food Safety” Http://www.JCenterprises.international/blog/2019/1/23/i-always-wanted-to-design-a-food-item