When it comes to food safety, our emerging chefs are not too young to learn the importance of properly handling food.
By Eve Victory
Food and Beverage is available just about everywhere, which is a great convenience in a society always on the go. How often though do we consider how safe our food really is?
Currently, 1 in 6 Americans contracts food poisoning every year. Bacteria are very easily spread, and we are most often the culprits. With September being National Food Safety Education month, it is appropriate to review how to prevent and protect ourselves and others from getting sick.
Steps to Avoid Contracting a Food-Borne Illness
Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water to ensure proper bacterial removal, most especially after handling raw protein products (meat, fish, eggs).
Keep raw protein products (meat, fish, eggs) separate from other foods in your shopping cart AND in your refrigerator.
Keep your refrigerator at optimal storage temperature: between 35-40 degrees.
Store poultry on the lowest available shelf, and other meat proteins on the next lowest shelf.
Use separate cutting boards for protein products (meat, fish, eggs) and for produce, bread, and other foods that won’t be cooked (ready-to-eat foods).
When marinating, do not use the leftover marinade the meat was sitting in. Instead, set some aside before marinating to use for basting or reducing.
Help spread awareness, not germs. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website,
www.cdc.gov.Working for years as an event and tradeshow planner and personal chef, Eve Victory is the Hospitality and Tourism Management professor at National Park College. For more information, contact Eve at evictory@np.edu.
