Food poisoning is a common condition many Americans face, and you’ve probably experienced it sometime too. If you have, then you’ll already know it’s not a walk in the park—vomiting, stomachaches, and diarrhea are just some of the things you experience because of food poisoning. Thankfully, food poisoning can be easily prevented as long as you follow our nine guidelines below!
1. Look at the Expiration Dates
Expiration dates can be confusing, but we can assure you it’s not as difficult as it seems. If it says best by, that’s just the date the manufacturer recommends you consume it by. If it still looks and smells okay, then it’s probably fine. Of course, with fresh ingredients like raw meat or dairy, this is more delicate. Understanding best-by dates helps prevent food wastage.
If the label says sell by or manufactured on, then this is a stricter date to follow. You should refrain from buying any foods that go past this date. Stores, in general, should always remove all foods past their manufacturing date, but if you somehow still got one, you can go back in and return it.
Additionally, please do not buy foods with broken seals, and cans or packages that are dented or seem to be bulging. This could be a sign that it’s been infiltrated by bacteria.
2. Wash Fruits and Vegetables But Not Animal Products
Fruits and vegetables are exposed to pesticides, animals, unclean growing conditions, and more. Thus, you always need to wash them thoroughly before you use them, even if you plan on peeling the skins. If you don’t, bacteria from the skin can move to your knife and then back inside the produce once you start chopping it.
Proteins, on the other hand, shouldn’t be washed. When you wash them, the bacteria can scatter all over the kitchen sink, increasing your risk of illnesses. Don’t worry—once you cook them, the bacteria on the surface and inside will be killed off.
3. Don’t Put Protein and Produce Together
As we already know, when you’re out doing groceries, you should never put the produce and the proteins together (unless your protein is plant-based). Blood and juices from the meat can transfer to your fruit and vegetables and increase your risk of infection. Indeed, you should consider double-wrapping your meats with plastic or just separating the two foods altogether.
When you’re cooking, make sure to chop up your fruits and vegetables first before working on your proteins. Additionally, wash things that touched raw meat immediately after use—don’t reuse a knife or a plate for your cooked food as it’ll just contaminate it again.
4. Be Aware of Your Food’s Danger Zone
The danger zone refers to temperatures your food shouldn’t be in for long. For example, certain foods shouldn’t go above 40 F for cold foods and under 140 F for hot foods, especially after they’ve been opened. This is why many foods need to be refrigerated or consumed immediately after opening.
That’s not to say every food that reaches the danger zone can’t be eaten. They’re still safe to eat if they’ve been in the danger zone for one to two hours, but that’s cumulative. So, you should still consider the time you were lining up at the grocery store, hauling them in your car, and waiting to put them away in the kitchen.
This also applies to deliveries, like meal kits or online groceries. If the packaging isn’t properly insulated, that food could have gone bad while waiting in the delivery truck or on your porch.
5. Practice Proper Hygiene
If there’s anything COVID-19 has taught us, it’s the importance of always being clean! Before handling food, you should always clean your hands, the utensils you’re using, and the environment you’re in. This will minimize any bacteria or viruses that want to get into your food and into your system.
For your hands, make sure to wash them for at least twenty seconds with soap and water. And don’t just wash the palms, either—you should also wash the underside of your nails and the backs of your hands. Washing hands is especially important if you’ve been handling something messy, like petting your dog or using the bathroom.
For your utensils and environment, make sure you wash them every time they’ve been in contact with raw meats. Wash them with hot, soapy water, and regularly switch out your sponges and dish towels.
6. Marinate and Defrost Meats in the Refrigerator
When you’re bringing down the temperature for your meat, you got to make sure it doesn’t go down that low. When it reaches a certain point, bacteria can start growing again, and you certainly wouldn’t want that for your special dinner!
Marinate your meats in a bowl, and once all the meats have been coated with your marinade, put it back in the fridge. When it’s ready to be cooked, make sure to add the marinade to what you’re cooking or else throw it away. You shouldn’t consume or reuse marinade contaminated with raw meat if you’re not cooking it.
Thawing your meat should go similarly. You want to bring them down, but not too down. So, put them in a container that prevents leakage and transfer it from the fridge to your refrigerator.
7. Cook Foods to the Right Temperature
If you want to get rid of harmful bacteria in your food, heating them is the way to go because it kills them! So, when you’re cooking something like raw meat that’s full of bacteria, make sure to use a meat thermometer so both the outside and inside of the meat are cooked properly.
Don’t worry, your meats won’t end up being well done! It just needs to reach the right temperature for bacteria to die before you can take them off. Enjoy rare meat without bacteria!
8. Research on Restaurants
Before heading out to any restaurant, make sure the place follows all health and safety guidelines. Is the place clean? Are the staff following proper protocol? Do the ingredients seem fresh, and are they properly cooked?
You can look at their inspection scores at your state’s health department or even just read reviews on Yelp to see if anybody’s mentioned anything bad hygiene-wise. Make sure to leave a Yelp review if you experience poor hygiene as well so you can help others afraid of food poisoning!
If you’re taking home some leftovers, make sure to place them in your refrigerator within two hours to prevent bacteria from growing.
9. Bring Ice Packs or Thermoses on the Road
Keeping your food warm or cool is understandably more difficult on the road, but thankfully there are a lot of devices that can help prevent food poisoning for a few hours.
If you need to keep your food warm, you can use Thermoses, aluminum foil, insulated bags, and heat packs—just slip them in beside your food. If you need to keep your food cold, you can use ice packs, cooler bags, or even just ice cubes. You should also consider adding cold food inside the air-conditioned car instead of the warm trunk.
