FAQs on Food-borne Illness and Mishandling of Food

Funny thing, but almost every question we get from our site members is a variation of the same question.  Optimists phrase it positively: “Can I still eat it?”  Pessimists ask, “Do I have to throw it out?”  In either case, it’s a query about food that has been kept too long in the “danger zone” (40°F-140°F), in other words, a perishable food that hasn’t been kept hot enough or cold enough to prevent bacterial growth. No one wants to discard food that cost a lot and/or took a long time to prepare.  So we did some research and asked two food scientists on the Shelf Life Advice Advisory Board to provide specific and general answers to “Is it really spoiled?” questions.

Do you really know about food safety and expiration dates?  Test your knowledge and learn something new as you check your answers.  Click on the link at the end of the quiz to see our explanations about each answer.

 1. What percentage of food-borne illness is caused by mishandling of foods at home?

a) 4%      b) 17%      c) 31%