Food Safety Crucial for People with Lowered Immunity : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 2)

Wash hands, utensils, counters, and cutting surfaces with hot soapy water between preparation of different foods, particularly after handling raw eggs, meat, poultry or fish. In other words, wash repeatedly during meal preparation to avoid cross-contamination. Use plastic or glass cutting boards rather than wooden ones, which are difficult or impossible to clean adequately. Be sure to disassemble and thoroughly wash the meat grinder and blender after grinding raw meat or poultry or blending eggs or vegetables.

Wash fresh fruits and vegetables with water, using a brush, if appropriate.

Protect yourself with a plastic sealing bandage or plastic gloves if a hand has a cut or open sore, for wounds are easy entry points to the body for bacteria when handling raw meat, poultry or fish.

Use thermometers.

Promptly refrigerate or cook foods, including vegetables, after you cut them up. Bacteria can grow at temperatures above 4 C (40 F) and below 60 C (140 F), so temperature is vital in keeping food safe.

Using a thermometer, periodically check to be sure the temperature of the refrigerator is below 4 C (40 F) and the freezer is no higher than minus 18 C (zero F).

Robert Hendrickson of FDA's retail food protection branch advises cooking beef and lamb to at least 60 C (140 F), pork to 66 C (150 F), and poultry to 74 C (165 F). Use a meat thermometer to ensure complete cooking. Follow the recipe for seafood, but don't undercook it. Avoid lightly steamed mussels and snails, for instance. Fish should be flaky, not rubbery, when cut. Never eat oysters on the half shell, raw clams, sushi, or sashimi.

Cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Researchers at Cornell University recommend these cooking times:

Scrambled — 1 minute at medium stovetop setting (121 C — 250 F — for electric frying pan)

Sunny side — 7 minutes at medium stovetop setting (121 C — 250 F — for electric frying pan) or cook covered 4 minutes at 121 C (250 F)

Fried, over easy — 3 minutes at medium stovetop setting (121 C — 250 F — for electric frying pan) on one side, then turn the egg and fry for another minute on the other side

Poached — 5 minutes in boiling water

Boiled — 7 minutes in boiling water.

Consider using pasteurized eggs instead of shell eggs whenever possible. Reheat food or heat partially cooked foods all the way through to at least 74 C (165 F). Follow the recipe's time and temperature requirements, and check with a meat thermometer. When using a microwave, observe the recipe's standing time and directions about turning the dish. When using a barbecue grill, precook meat and poultry.

Refrigerate leftovers in covered containers to avoid cross-contamination. Divide hot foods into small portions for quick cooling, and allow room for circulation around containers to prevent the refrigerator or freezer temperature from rising. If food looks or smells suspicious, throw it out.

Take charge when dining out.

As at home, don't eat uncooked animal-derived dishes such as steak tartare, sushi, raw oysters, Hollandaise sauce, and homemade mayonnaise, eggnog, or ice cream. If you don't know what's in a particular dish, ask.

Send back undercooked food — poultry, for instance, that's even slightly pink.

When ordering eggs, specify that scrambled eggs be "dry" and that fried eggs be well-cooked on both sides. The runnier the yolk, the higher the risk.

Be extra careful during foreign travel.

Check with your doctor before traveling to a foreign country.

Don't buy food from street vendors.

Avoid salads and raw vegetables, peel your own fruit, and only eat cooked food that's still hot. Drink only boiled or bottled water and only use ice cubes made from boiled water.

A consumer or physician who believes an episode of diarrhea is related to a particular food or restaurant should tell the local health department or nearest FDA office. Such reporting can help others avoid the illness.

A videotape prepared by FDA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic shows how people with AIDS and HIV infection can reduce their risk of food-borne infection through careful food selection and preparation. In the introduction, James Curran, M.D., M.P.H., director of the AIDS Program at CDC, stresses that "HIV infection and AIDS are not acquired by eating food or drinking liquids."

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.