Food contamination is a serious problem that can affect all households, regardless of where they are or who lives in them. Food contamination can lead to some pretty ugly sicknesses, such as food poisoning. Most of us are probably familiar with food poisoning, but on the off chance that you’ve never experienced food poisoning…trust me, you don’t want to. Diarrhea, muscle spasms, dehydration, and intense pain are some of the most common symptoms.

Below are five tips on how to prevent food contamination so you and your family members can lessen your risk of illnesses.

1) Wash Your Hands

You’ve been hearing these instructions since you were in Kindergarten and for good reason. Your hands have their own ecosystem of germs and bacteria. Most are harmless but some can be quite nasty. What is more, your hands are the ones leaning on dirty windows, holding on to germ-infested handrails and basically being exposed to an ungodly amount of foreign microbes. Therefore, it’s important that you regularly wash your hands with antibacterial soap, especially if you plan on handling food.

2) Always Check Use-By Dates

There are some people who choose to view Use-By dates on products as mere suggestions rather than instructions. Use-By dates are based on scientific tests conducted in labs to determine the latest time you should consume your product before it can go bad. And guess what, eating expired food isn’t exactly good for you. So regardless of how much your great uncle swears that expiration dates are a corporate conspiracy designed to make you spend more, always stick to them.

3) Clean Work Stations and Cutting Boards

One important way to avoid getting infections from your food is to make sure you clean your countertop/workstation regularly, especially when cutting or handling raw food. The same goes for cutting boards. This is because raw food, especially meat or poultry, contains harmful bacteria that could lead to food poisoning or other nasty illnesses. So every time you use a chopping board, make sure you disinfect it to avoid food contamination.

4) Take Care of Your Refrigerator

One of the less obvious but still very important ways to prevent food contamination is keeping your refrigerator below 41°F (5°C). This is because germs and bacteria find it very difficult to multiply in extremely cold conditions. As such, your food won’t spoil as easily. Another fridge-related tip to help avoid food contamination is to avoid overfilling it. Overfilling your fridge lowers the rate of air circulation which helps to keep the fridge cool. If it’s too full, air won’t circulate properly leading to more germs and bacteria growing on your food.

5) Make Sure Your Food is Cooked Thoroughly

We previously mentioned that raw meat and poultry contain a lot of harmful bacteria. This is why you should make sure that meats are cooked thoroughly without any “pink” (raw) color inside. By cooking them thoroughly, you are killing any stubborn harmful bacteria that could cause sicknesses.

Better Safe Than Sorry

By being safe and smart about the food you eat and feed to your family, you can prevent a whole host of nasty sicknesses related to food contamination. Protect yourself by buying good quality, fresh foods, and make sure to store them properly.

 

Tips contributed by Allen Brown.