Are you listening? Food safety guidelines are no joke!

Comment Posted by: Dawn Thurnau on July 1, 2010 This mornings jog felt like a whats grosser than gross conversation from middle school. One of the ladies I run with told the most heinous food safety faux paux story Ive ever heard and the culprit was a reputable corporate CEO- well respected, intelligent- someone you would expect would follow simple rules that are proven to prevent food-borne illness. During a weekend barbecue by the pool, the hosts thawed frozen ground beef ON THE PORCH in the 100 degree heat for about 5 hours. By the time they brought the beef in to form it into patties, the edges were already partially cooked. It amazes me that in this day and age, after we talk about food safety until were blue in the face, that this kind of thing would still happen! Im hoping this story grosses you out as much as it grossed me out but I also hope that it serves as a reminder that food borne illnesses are preventable. Here are some really easy tips that you should commit to memory: - Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator - Separate raw meat from cooked meat and other raw vegetables (use a clean plate, clean cutting boardand wash hands and utensils often- with warm, soapy, water) - Cook to a proper internal temperature (steaks and roasts to 145 degrees, ground beef to 160 degrees). Use a food thermometer to determine doneness - Chill promptly. Leftovers shouldnt be left at room temperature for more than an hour. Less if youre in the heat

Still dont know why Im making a big deal out of this event? Here is some data compiled by FSIS, Food Safety Inspection Service for the US Government.

Temperature and time are the factors that affect bacterial growth most. Below 45 F bacteria grow slowly and at temperatures above 140 F they start to die. In the so called danger zone between 40 140 F many bacteria are growing quite well. Most bacteria will grow exponentially at temperatures between 70 F and 120 F. When bacteria grow, they increase in numbers not in size. Bacteria reproduce by dividing and it is assumed that under ideal conditions bacteria divide every 20 minutes. Now you can see what can happen to a piece of meat left for many hours on the kitchen table on a beautiful and hot summer day. The thermometer drawing that follows below has been compiled from the data we found at the College of Agriculture at Auburn University in Alabama. It shows the time that is required for one bacteria cell to become two cells at different storage temperatures. At 40 F one bacteria cell needs 12 hours to become two cells, but at 90 F one bacteria cell will become two cells in just 30 minutes.

Filed under: