• Brain and nerve damage

For some people, these health problems can last for weeks or months after
recovering from a foodborne illness. For others, they never go away.

6. How to Prevent Food Poisoning

Sticking to some basic food hygiene rules can prevent us from getting sick.

Foodborne illnesses can be significantly controlled through four simple

steps. They lay out the foundation for the most basic food safety system. These 4
steps of food safety help prevent the spread of any type of contamination. The four
simple steps to food safety include:

• Cleaning

• Cooking

• Chilling

• Separating

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Keep clean

Our hands, kitchen utensils, and dishcloths all carry microorganisms. While
not all microorganisms are dangerous, it is recommended to;

• Always wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water before
handling food and repeat often during food preparation.

• Cover any cuts with waterproof bandages and do not prepare food for
others if you are sick or have a skin infection

• Prepare and chop food on a clean surface and clean all utensils and
surfaces thoroughly after use with hot water and detergent, or in the dishwasher.

• Wash dishcloths, tea towels, hand towels and aprons frequently at high
temperatures.

Cleaning refers to excluding foodborne pathogens, including bacteria,

viruses, and other microbiological hazards, through a series of operations. This step
is applied throughout the entire food business, on food handlers, food contact
surfaces, floors, and other areas. Because food handlers have direct contact with
food and the tools used to prepare them, this makes them a potential source of
contamination. As such, food handlers must maintain cleanliness at all times, which
can be achieved through the following steps:

Handwashing must be performed through a series of standard steps:

Step 1: Rinse hands with water.

Step 2: Lather hands with soap.

Step 3: Rub hands palm to palm.

Step 4: Rub back of hands.

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Step 5: Rub fingers while interlaced.

Step 6: Rub the base of the thumbs.

Step 7: Rub fingernails (Note: you can use a brush with soft bristles.)

Step 8: Wash wrists.

Step 9: Rinse hand well.

Step 10: Dry hands with a clean towel or tissue.

Step 11: Turn off the faucet using a disposable paper towel.

Wash your hands the right way:

Use plain soap and water—skip the antibacterial soap—and scrub the backs
of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails for at least 20 seconds.
Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.

Rinse hands, then dry with a clean towel.

Wash your hands often, especially during these key times when germs can
spread:

Before, during, and after preparing food

After handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, or their juices, or uncooked eggs

Before eating

After using the toilet

After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet

After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

After touching garbage

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 Before and after caring for someone who is sick

Before and after treating a cut or wound

After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

After handling pet food or pet treats.

Wash surfaces and utensils after each use:

Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water,
especially after they’ve held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.

Wash dish cloths often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.

Wash fruits and vegetables, but not meat, poultry, or eggs:

Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water without soap, bleach, or
commercial produce washes.

Rinse fruits and vegetables before peeling, removing skin, or cutting away
any damaged or bruised areas.

Scrub firm produce like melons or cucumbers with a clean produce brush.

Dry produce with a paper towel or clean cloth towel.

Separate raw and cooked

Use separate cutting boards and plates for produce, meat, poultry, seafood,
and eggs:

Use one cutting board for fresh produce or other foods that won’t be
cooked before they’re eaten, and another for raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Replace
them when they are worn.

Use separate plates and utensils for cooked and raw foods.

Use hot, soapy water to thoroughly wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards

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that touched raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or flour.

Keep certain types of food separate.

Never wash raw chicken as the splashing water can spread bacteria around
the kitchen.

In your shopping cart, separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from
other foods and place packages of raw meat, poultry, and seafood in plastic bags
if available. When you check out, place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in separate
bags from other foods.

At home, place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in containers or sealed,

leakproof plastic bags. Freeze them if you’re not planning to use them within a few
days. In the fridge, keep eggs in their original carton and store them in the main
compartment—not in the door.

Cook thoroughly

Cooking food properly to kill microorganisms growing in uncooked or

undercooked meats & shellfish, or unpasteurized dairy products. Cooking/heating
foods to temperatures of at least 72°C for 2 minutes will kill most illness-causing
microbes. Cook to the right temperature. Food is safely cooked when the internal
temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick.

Use a food thermometer to be sure your food is safe. When you think your
food is done, place the food thermometer in the thickest part of the food, making
sure not to touch bone, fat, or gristle.

Refer to our Minimum Cooking Temperatures Chart to be sure your foods

have reached a safe temperature.

Keep food hot (60°C or above) after cooking:

If you’re not serving food right after cooking, keep it out of the temperature

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danger zone (between 4°C and 60°C) where germs grow rapidly by using a heat
source like a chafing dish, warming tray, or slow cooker.

Read package directions for cooking and follow them exactly to make sure
food is thoroughly cooked. If the food label says, “Let stand for x minutes after
cooking,” follow the directions — letting microwaved food sit for a few minutes
allows food to cook thoroughly as colder areas absorb heat from hotter areas. Stir
food in the middle of heating. Follow package directions for commercially prepared
frozen food; some are not designed to be stirred while heating.

Whole cuts of beef (steaks, joints) or lamb (chops, joints) can be eaten rare
or pink as they are unlikely to have harmful bacteria in the center. The outer surface
should be seared to kill bacteria.

Ground meat/fish products (such as burgers, sausages or fishcakes) have a

large surface area and are therefore more likely to be contaminated than whole
cuts of meat. These foods should be cooked through to a core temperature of at
least 72°C for 2 mins.

For pork and poultry, there should be no pink meat left. If you don’t have
a thermometer, pierce the thickest part with a fork or skewer; the juices should run
clear, not pink.

Reheat leftovers of pre-prepared foods thoroughly. Bring soups and stews

to a boil for at least 2 minutes.

It is also safe to eat leftover leafy greens like spinach as long as they are
thoroughly reheated.

Keep food at safe temperature

Microorganisms can multiply quickly, make sure to slow down the process
by storing below 5°C or heating over 60°C. Refrigerate perishable foods within 2
hours. Bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply quickest between 4°C and 60°C.
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Your refrigerator should be set to 4°C or below and your freezer to -18°C or below.
Use an appliance thermometer to be sure.

Keep the fridge below 5°C and check regularly using a refrigerator
thermometer.

Cool and place cooked foods and leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours.

Serve food hot over 60°C.

Thaw frozen food completely before cooking, ideally in a container in the

fridge overnight.

Keep leftovers in the fridge for maximum of 2 to 3 days.

Never leave perishable foods out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours. If
the food is exposed to temperatures above 32°C (like a hot car or summer picnic),
refrigerate it within 1 hour.

Leftovers should be placed in shallow containers and refrigerated promptly

to allow quick cooling.

Never thaw or marinate foods on the counter. The safest way to thaw or
marinate meat, poultry, and seafood is in the refrigerator. Freezing does not destroy
harmful germs, but it does keep food safe until you can cook it.

Know when to throw out food by checking our Safe Storage Times chart.
Be sure you throw food out before harmful bacteria grow.

Use safe water and raw materials

Avoid contamination from dangerous microorganisms and chemicals.

Select your water and raw materials carefully.

Choose fresh foods, avoid food that is rotting.

Do not use food beyond ‘use by’ date.

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 Wash fresh vegetables and fruit well with clean water before use to remove
potential contaminants from the surface.

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