5 Best Ways To Prevent Foodborne Illnesses

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5 Best Ways To Prevent Foodborne Illnesses

Millions of people suffer from various foodborne illnesses produced by bacteria such as Listeria, E. coli, and Salmonella. These pathogens can cause upset stomach, vomiting, and serious infections that can result in hospitalization, specifically among older adults, postpartum or pregnant women, and individuals with frail immune systems. Here are the best ways to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Wash Your Hands

One of the best ways to prevent foodborne illnesses is to practice good personal hygiene habits. Thorough and frequent handwashing can help you keep yourself and your family safe. Properly wash and dry your hands before touching food, after handling raw meat or food, finishing up in the bathroom, touching pets, handling trash, sneezing, or coughing. Though it may seem simple, it can be your initial line of defense to prevent foodborne illness.

Sanitize Everything

Before preparing food, make sure the equipment and surfaces that will touch the food are properly sanitized to prevent the spread of bacteria. Cleaning includes removing pathogens and dirt with all-purpose sprays, soaps, and hot water.

Cooking should always begin with a clean preparation station. Avoiding cross contamination can also prevent the spread and growth of toxic pathogens. Thankfully, you can eliminate bacteria through regular sanitation of cooking equipment and utensils.

Handle Raw Foods Properly

Many everyday foods, such as poultry, dairy, raw milk, raw sprouts, and tomatoes, often fall victim to Salmonella. Improper handling of these foods is one of the most common causes of this foodborne illness. Following the appropriate steps is essential in ensuring these goods are safe and clean before you consume them.

Keep Animals Away

Pets and animals are some of the culprits of spreading bacteria. Your pets don’t bathe as regularly as you do; hence, they often carry more diseases and harmful microbes. As a result, bacteria can use them to reach your preparation station and spread.

Keeping your kitchen area free of rodents and pests is also necessary, as they can also carry various diseases. Learn to recognize the signs of a pest infection, and promptly eradicate it to decrease the probability of disease.

Look at Expiration Dates

Do not consume products that are past their expiration dates, even if they smells and look fine. Scientific tests establish use-by and expiration dates to indicate how rapidly harmful microbes might be developing inside the packaged product or food. Most of the time, pathogens can grow to critical levels despite our inability to detect them through our senses of sight, taste, or smell. No amount of preparation or cooking can ensure these products are safe for consumption.

Taking the necessary precautions to prevent foodborne illnesses doesn’t have to cause stress. Just make sure that your hands are clean and that you cook your food all the way through.

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