Many people go wrong when it comes to storing or cleaning the food, vegetables and meat they bring home from the market, and as a result suffer food poisoning and other problems. Many are simply not aware of food safety.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has set out how to keep food safe and asks everyone to follow a few steps. At home, families can be protected from food poisoning through four simple steps: clean, separate, cook and chill.

Wash fruit and vegetables under running water as soon as you bring them home. Germs that cause food poisoning can survive in many places and can even spread around your kitchen.

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before preparing food and before and after eating. Wash utensils, chopping boards, the cooker, the sink and so on with hot soapy water.

Raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs that are not stored properly can spread germs to other foods. Use separate chopping boards and plates for them.

When shopping for groceries, do not keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs together with other items. Keep these raw foods apart from other food in the refrigerator.

When food is cooked at the right temperature, the germs inside it are destroyed very quickly. The only way to know whether your food has been cooked safely is to use a food thermometer.

You can never tell whether food has been cooked properly or is safe by looking at its colour and texture, so use a food thermometer. The temperatures for different foods are:

• Beef and other red meats should be cooked at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and left for at least 3 minutes after cooking before eating.
• Fish with fins should be cooked at 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Chicken and turkey should be cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

If cooked food is left at room temperature, between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria grow in it quickly.

Perishable food must never be left out for more than 2 hours. If the room temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it must not be left out for more than an hour.

So put perishable food in the fridge within 2 hours. Food stored properly in the fridge can be taken out and thawed safely in cold water or in a microwave.

But never thaw food at room temperature, as bacteria will multiply quickly in it. Today is World Food Safety Day, observed by the United Nations and various health organisations to raise awareness of how important food safety is for our health and well-being.

Citing the CDC.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.