A CDC Article on Avoiding Food Poisoning

[Editor's Note: Dear reader: I know you must be quite sick of hearing about germs that can make you sick. Nevertheless, I feel I must post this excellent CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) article entitled "Foods That Can Cause Food Poisoning." One of my favorite warnings (because I think many folks don't know this) is the fact that eating raw sprouts (commonly used to decorate a sandwich or salad) is a health risk. Another is this one: when you're baking cookies or other sweets, no matter how much your children beg, DO NOT let them nibble on raw dough. That's risky. There's more to learn from this write-up, such as this one: DON'T rinse raw poultry! And, just to offer you and your family even more protection, at the conclusion of this CDC piece, I've added links to some Shelf Life Advice articles on food safety.]

Foods That Can Cause Food Poisoning

• Some foods are more associated with foodborne illnesses and food poisoning than others. They can carry harmful germs that can make you very sick if the food is contaminated.

• Raw foods of animal origin are the most likely to be contaminated, specifically raw or undercooked meat and poultry, raw or lightly cooked eggs, unpasteurized (raw) milk, and raw shellfish.

• Fruits and vegetables also may get contaminated.

• While certain foods are more likely to make you sick, any food can get contaminated in the field, during processing, or during other stages in the food production chain, including through cross-contamination with raw meat in kitchens.

Steps you can take to avoid food poisoning:

Chicken, Beef, Pork, and Turkey

Thoroughly cooking chicken, poultry products, and meat destroys germs.Raw and undercooked meat and poultry can make you sick. Most raw poultry contains Campylobacter. It also may contain Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, and other bacteria. Raw meat may contain Salmonella, E. coli, Yersinia, and other bacteria.

• You should not wash raw poultry or meat before cooking it, even though some older recipes may call for this step. Washing raw poultry or meat can spread bacteria to other foods, utensils, and surfaces, and does not prevent illness.

• Thoroughly cooking poultry and meat. You can kill bacteria by cooking poultry and meat to a safe internal temperature

• Use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature. You can’t tell if meat is properly cooked by looking at its color or juices.

• Leftovers should be refrigerated at 40°F or colder within 2 hours after preparation. Large cuts of meat, such as roasts or a whole turkey, should be divided into small quantities for refrigeration so they’ll cool quickly enough to prevent bacteria from growing.

Foodborne Germs and Poultry and Meat

• E. coli and Food Safety

• Salmonella and Food

• Tips to Prevent Illness from Clostridium Perfringens

Tips for Preparing Chicken, Turkey, and Other Meats

• Food Safety Tips for Your Holiday Turkey

• How to Grill Safely

• Meat and Poultry Roasting Chart

Fruits and Vegetables

The safest fruits and vegetables are cooked; the next safest are washed. Avoid unwashed fresh produce. Eating fresh produce provides important health benefits, but sometimes raw fruits and vegetables may cause food poisoning from harmful germs such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be contaminated anywhere along the journey from farm to table, including by cross-contamination in the kitchen.

Tips for Fruits and Vegetables

• Fruit and Vegetable Safety

• Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, and Juices

Raw Milk, Raw Milk Soft Cheeses, and Other Raw Milk Products

To prevent infection with Listeria and other harmful germs, don’t consume raw milk or soft cheeses and other products made from raw milk. You can get very sick from raw (unpasteurized) milk and products made with it, including soft cheeses (such as queso fresco, blue-veined, feta, brie and camembert), ice cream, and yogurt. That’s because raw milk can carry harmful germs, including Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella.

• Raw milk is made safe through pasteurization, which requires just enough heat for just long enough to kill disease-causing germs.

• Most of the nutritional benefits of drinking raw milk are also available from pasteurized milk, without the risk.

• Although Listeria infection is very uncommon, it can sicken pregnant women, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems

• Listeria infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, preterm labor, and serious illness and even death in newborns.

Learn About the Dangers of Raw Milk and Soft Cheeses

• Raw (Unpasteurized) Milk

• Raw Milk Know the Facts 

• Milk, Cheese, and Dairy Products

• Listeriosis Outbreaks Linked to Soft Cheeses

Eggs and Salmonella

Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. Eggs can contain a germ called Salmonella that can make you sick, even if the egg looks clean and uncracked. Use pasteurized eggs and egg products when preparing recipes that call for raw or undercooked eggs. In addition:

• Avoid foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs, such as homemade Caesar salad dressing and eggnog.

• Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm.

• Cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.

• Keep eggs refrigerated at 40°F or colder.

• Do not taste or eat raw batter or dough.

Tips for Preparing and Eating Eggs

• Salmonella and Eggs

• Eggs and Egg Products

Seafood and Raw Shellfish Food Poisoning

Raw or undercooked oysters can contain Vibrio bacteria, which can lead to an infection called vibriosis. Cook seafood to 145°F, and heat leftover seafood to 165°F. To avoid foodborne infection, do not eat raw or undercooked fish, shellfish, or food containing raw or undercooked seafood, such as sashimi, some sushi, and ceviche.

Oysters and Food Poisoning

• Oysters and other filter-feeding shellfish can contain viruses and bacteria that can cause illness or death.

• Oysters harvested from contaminated waters can contain norovirus.

• To avoid food poisoning, cook oysters well.

Food Safety for Seafood and Oysters

• Vibrio and Oysters

• Seafood

• external icon

Sprouts and Food Poisoning

Cook sprouts thoroughly to reduce the chance of food poisoning. The warm, humid conditions needed to grow sprouts are also ideal for germs to grow. Eating raw or lightly cooked sprouts, such as alfalfa, bean, or any other sprout may lead to food poisoning from Salmonella, E. coli, or Listeria. Thoroughly cooking sprouts kills the harmful germs and reduces the chance of food poisoning.

Raw Flour 

You should never taste raw dough or batter. Flour is typically a raw agricultural product that hasn’t been treated to kill germs. Harmful germs can contaminate grain while it’s still in the field or at other steps as flour is produced. Bacteria are killed when food made with flour is cooked. That’s why you should never taste raw dough or batter.

• Say No to Raw Dough!

• Flour, Raw Dough, and Raw Batter

Additional Information

• CDC: Preventing Food Poisoning

• FoodKeeper App

• Four Steps to Food Safety

• USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline

Links to Shelf Life Advice articles on food safety:

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/what-best-way-clean-fruits-and-vegetables

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/raw-sprouts-nutritious-and-dangerous

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/why-you-need-safe-cooking-temperature-chart-and-how-get-one-right-now

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/usda-urges-consumers-keep-clear-danger-zone-summer-0

http://shelflifeadvice.com/tips/ten-tips-consumer-food-safety