Stop foodborne diseases - rapid test, monitoring at home

The steady stream of reports on the food that is making me think twice about what is on my plate the original disease. We only have this year seen dozens of food recalls, including one involving frozen tuna that has been linked to 62 cases of Salmonella infection, and another involving an ice cream in 10 cases of Listeria infection - and three deaths.

Sick food poisoning 48 million people a year, sending 128,000 to the hospital and killing 3,000 Borne. You can get a foodborne disease red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, and even fruits and vegetables. Salmonella bacteria family are guilty No. 1; other foodborne microbes can cause disease include Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli O157: H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Toxoplasma gondii, and norovirus. 

Test Challenges

Inspectors from the FDA and USDA regularly test for foodborne, both in their own samples of food and food samples were sent to laboratories for manufacturers of food illnesses. Unfortunately, it takes weeks for Salmonella. This means that potentially contaminated food may be on the way to his tent before we know if they contain errors that can cause disease.

So I am encouraged to hear of the FDA food safety challenge this year, a competition to develop innovative methods that will make it easy to find foodborne microbes - especially Salmonella - in food. Researchers at Purdue University $ 300,000 grand prize was announced last week for his new method to significantly shorten the time needed to test for Salmonella.

Not very soon

Although faster to detect microbes in food shapes are a step in the right direction, we must act now at home. Foodborne illness is a real threat in the kitchen around the world. Studies have shown that the half of the supply of US meat and poultry is contaminated with potentially dangerous microbes.

That's no surprise to Dr. Richard Raymond, former Under Secretary of the USDA for food security. "The raw meat is not considered sterile. There is no way to pasteurize meat how can pasteurize milk," he said. Ironically, it was up to his elbows in minced meat cook dinner when I reached at his home in Colorado. We talked a little about how USDA inspectors are present every day in every meat plant in the country. "However, if a contaminated chicken passes through a machine, the machine is contaminated, and any other chickens coming through will be contaminated until it is discovered and the equipment can be cleaned."

What you can do

It is important to remember that all fresh foods contain at least low levels of potentially harmful microbes. Ingestion of small amounts of them are not a problem for most healthy people.Cooking usually kills most bacteria but the toxins that some products can cause food poisoning - no infection - and leave you with a bad case of diarrhea and vomiting for a day or two.

"It is the preparation, handling and storage of food often leads to more serious infection - and the hospital - because living microbes are ingested," says Dr. David Bellinger, a professor at Harvard Medical School and a member Foodborne the global burden of disease Health Organization Epidemiology Reference Group. For example, if the gravy preparing to get a counter, and you get to this point in the counter after dinner, you can choose a microbe and then ingested.

Here are some steps you can take to prevent foodborne illness.

Food Handling

    *  Wash your hands before and after preparing food, before eating and after using the bathroom.
    *  Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs from other foods in your shopping cart, and put them in plastic bags to keep the juices get in other foods.
    *  Do not put your eggs in your cart until you open the carton and make sure they are free of dirt and cracks.

Meal preparation

    *  Wash all fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish and meat. Use a powerful jet to clean the surface of bacteria of chemicals and the rinsing water.
    *  To reduce cross contamination, use plates, cutting boards and utensils for raw foods one at a time, and then wash with soap and water before moving on to another food.
    *  Clean all surfaces that come in contact with raw meat and seafood. "People think that dangerous pathogens can not live long on surfaces, but recent data suggest that can persist for days," says Dr. Bellinger.
    *  Use a meat thermometer to safe internal temperatures high enough to kill germs - at least 165 ° F for poultry. And wash the probe after each use!

Storage

       *  Do not let the food at room temperature for more than two hours, or more than an hour if the ambient temperature is 90 ° F or more. After two hours, harmful bacteria may rot and multiply. This means that you should be aware of foods that has been on a buffet table or picnic too long.
       *  Refrigerate food within an hour or two, and keep your refrigerator cold 40 ° F or less.
       *  Dump leftover after a few days.
       *  When reheating food, make sure they are very hot (steam) before eating.
       *  Do not eat food that looks, smells or tastes funny.

These steps do not take the bacteria in our food supply, but it will help you avoid mistakes that can make us sick. It is a winning strategy, with the price of good health.