Many people may not be sure whether the food they eat is actually safe. Food, vegetables and fruit bought regularly from the market can cause trouble if they are not stored or cleaned properly, and that is why people suffer from food poisoning and other problems.

Many people are unaware of food safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has explained how to keep food safe.

It advises following three steps: cleaning and separating food, cooking it, and storing it. These can protect a family from food poisoning.

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 dishes, cutting boards, the stove, the sink and so on with hot soapy water.

If raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs are not stored properly, germs can spread to other foods. Use separate cutting boards and plates for these foods.

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

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

Whether food has been cooked properly or is safe can never be judged by its colour and texture, so use a food thermometer. Here is what temperature to cook different foods to:

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

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

Perishable food should never be left out for more than 2 hours. If the room temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit, such food should 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 every year on 7 June. It was established by the United Nations to raise awareness of food safety systems.

The day is observed every year with the cooperation of the World Health Organization and the FAO. You may be surprised to learn that an estimated 600 million cases of foodborne illness are recorded every year, so everyone needs to be careful about this.

Citing the CDC.

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