Charles Stuart Platkin reports that there are many fad food scares out there; some, however, are more valid (and scary) than others. Here’s the rundown on a few that experts think we should be concerned about.
What it is: Food poisoning is the result of eating organisms or toxins, such as the bacteria E. Coli and Salmonella, in contaminated foods. Symptoms, including nausea and vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever and chills, weakness and headache, usually begin two to six hours after eating, although they can begin sooner or as long as several days later.Continue Reading Food concerns that do matter to Americans
Protect yourself from dirty supermarkets: Food safety expert advises how to avoid foodborne illnesses
Jane Weaver of MSNBC reports that on Sunday, “Dateline NBC” reported on a yearlong investigation of sanitary and other health-related conditions in the nation’s supermarkets. The episode, Supermarket Sweep, provided further proof that we shouldn’t assume our grocery stores are as clean as they should be.
How can you protect yourself from dirty supermarkets? Food safety expert Jeffrey Nelken offers advice on keeping you and your family safe from food-borne illnesses while shopping and at home. Nelken, based in Woodland Hills, Calif., was featured in Sunday’s “Dateline” and accompanied the show’s producers on some of their shopping expeditions.Continue Reading Protect yourself from dirty supermarkets: Food safety expert advises how to avoid foodborne illnesses
Picnic safely with your food
Bev Walpole of the St. Thomas Times-Journal reports that as summer approaches and we begin to think of picnics, there are several things we should keep in mind so that we don’t have to add a bout of food poisoning to our memories of the event.
When planning your menu, choose foods that are less perishable, such as washed, fresh fruit, vegetables, breads, processed cheese or boxed drinks. Keep perishable foods like potato or macaroni salad, hot dogs, lunchmeat, cooked beef or chicken on ice packs in a cooler.
Avoid bringing hot foods. If you plan to barbecue at your picnic, keep raw meats separate from cooked foods, preferably in another cooler. Make sure all meats are well cooked. Be sure to bring enough utensils and trays so you don’t have to use the same ones that touched raw foods to handle cooked food. Most meat is cooked at 74 C.Continue Reading Picnic safely with your food
Restaurant Inspections
Gary White of The Ledger reports that Barbara Whitman’s 63rd birthday was unforgettable — and not in a good way. Whitman’s two sisters took her out to one of her favorite Lakeland restaurants the night before her birthday last August. She indulged in a crabmeat appetizer and her usual entree, mahi mahi, both of which she found delectable.
Later that night, though, Whitman awoke to a sensation of extreme nausea. The misery carried though her birthday, ruining a home-cooked dinner her sister, Angela Akins, planned for Whitman and their mother, whose birthday was three days later.Continue Reading Restaurant Inspections
Restaurant inspectors on the front lines against food-borne disease
Mary Lane Gallagher of The Bellingham Herald reports that dirty floors can make restaurant-goers queasy. But health inspectors know it’s dirty hands that can really make you sick.
And in many cases, area restaurant workers aren’t washing their hands enough, according to a Bellingham Herald analysis of unofficial internal electronic records from the Whatcom County Health Department. Inspectors also find dozens of restaurants and other food service establishments that don’t keep food hot or cold enough, providing an opportunity for disease-causing bacteria to grow. That, to inspectors, is more worrisome than most dirt they can actually see.Continue Reading Restaurant inspectors on the front lines against food-borne disease