Food Safety Mistakes

Food Safety Mistakes

Food poisoning is a common issue that can be prevented by following food safety procedures.  Food poisoning can occur in any setting where food is being handled and cooked and can also occur in the home.  Following food safety tips can help create a safer food atmosphere and keep you from getting sick.

One mistake is tasting food to see if it is still good.  Food might still taste okay even if it is expired or contains bacteria that could make you sick.  Never use this to determine if food is still safe to eat.  Another mistake is putting cooked food back on the same plate that once held raw meat.  This can be a common practice that might occur when grilling food outside, but this can cause cross-contamination.  Bacteria from the raw meat can now be in the read-to-eat food, which can cause food poisoning.  Always keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate. Another mistake is thawing food on the counter.  This is dangerous because the room temperature can cause foods to get in the temperature danger zone which is between 40 °F - 140 °F.  This zone creates an environment when pathogens grow.  This also goes with letting food cool before refrigerating.  Never leave food out for more than two hours without refrigeration to avoid illness-causing bacteria to grow.

Washing meat or poultry is another practice that should be avoided.  Doing this can spread the bacteria from the raw meat to your kitchen surfaces.  Another unhealthy practice is eating raw cookie dough or foods that contain raw ingredients.  The eggs may contain Salmonella or flour may contain E. coli which are types of bacteria that can make you sick.  Using the same marinade for raw meat and then again for the cooked meat is also a harmful practice that could cause food poisoning.  This spreads bacteria to the food you will be eating.  Undercooking meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs should also be avoided because you need a high enough temperature to kill any harmful bacteria from those products.  Checking food with a food thermometer is a good practice to see if the food is safe to eat.

Another mistake is not washing your hands.  Bacteria can live on your hands so it is important to always wash your hands thoroughly to kill illness-causing bacteria.  The last mistake is not replacing sponges and dish rags.  These items can also contain harmful pathogens so it is important to regularly sanitize and replace them to protect yourself from getting sick. 

It’s important to follow these food safety practices in the kitchen to help avoid food poisoning and foodborne illness.  Avoiding food safety mistakes will creating a healthier environment and decrease the opportunity for harmful bacteria to grow and live.

NT

Wolfram, T. (2017). 10 common food safety mistakes. Retrieved from http://www.eatright.org/resource/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food-poisoning/10-common-food-safety-mistakes