Food Safety: What You DON'T Know

1. Food Safety: What You DON'T Know CAN Hurt YOU!

2. Debra Proctor, Extension Agent Wasatch County • Ellen Serfustini, Extension Agent Carbon County • Christine Jensen, Extension Agent Emery County

3. Used with permission from Alice Henneman, MS, RD, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Extension University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County Joyce Jensen, REHS, CFSP Alice Henneman, MS, RD Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Dept. I wish I’d known these things! February 2007 Download this PowerPoint at http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/myths.shtml

4. 10 Safety Myths Don’t be “myth”- led! Following are the facts for 10 common food safety myths...

5. Myth 1 If it tastes O.K., it's safe to eat.

6. Smell Sight Taste Fact 1 Don’t counton these to tell you ifa food issafe to eat!

7. Estimates of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. each year 76 million peoplebecome ill 5,000 people die

8. Would this many people eat something if they thought it tasted, looked or smelled bad?

9. Even if tasting would tell … Why risk getting sick? A “tiny taste” may not protect you. As few as 10 bacteria could cause somefoodborne illnesses, such as E. coli!

10. OOPS! Myth 2 If you get sick from eating a food, it was from the last food you ate.

11. Fact 2 It can take ½ hour to6 weeks to become sickfrom unsafe foods.

12. You usually feel OK immediately after eating and become sick later.

13. Hey guys, I have to throw up! Foodborne illness is NOT a pretty picture!

14. Myth 3 The worst that could happen to you with a foodborne illness is an upset stomach.

15. Upset stomach OOPS! Dehydration(sometimes severe) Fact 3 Diarrhea Fever

16. Meningitis Death Less common, but possible severe conditions Paralysis

17. Myth 4 If I’ve never been sick from the food I prepare, I don’t need to worry about feeding it to others.

18. Fact 4 Some people have a greater risk for foodborne illnesses. A food you can safely eat might make others sick. Is the food safefor everyone at the table?

19. Infants Young children andolder adults Pregnantwomen People with weakened immunesystems and individuals withcertain chronic diseases People with a higher risk for foodborne illness

20. Myth 5 People never used to get sick from their food.

21. Fact 5 Many incidents of foodborne illness went undetected in the past.

22. Symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were often and still are blamed on the "flu."

23. Foodborne illness vs. flu

24. Bacteria have gotten stronger!

25. Our food now travels farther with more chances for contamination. In days gone by, the chicken served at supper may have been in the hen house at noon!

26. Myth 6 As long as Ileft the lid on a food that has set out too long, it is safe to eat.

27. Fact 6 Though food may be safe after cooking, it may not be safe later. Just one bacteria in the food can double in 20 minutes!

28. How many bacteria will grow from one bacterialeft at room temperature 7 hours?

29. 2,097,152!

30. Refrigerateperishable foods within two hours at a refrigerator temperature of 40°F or lower. On a hot day (90°F or higher), food should not sit out for more than one hour.

31. Myth 7 If you let a food sit out more than two hours, you can make it safe by heating it really hot!

32. Fact 7 Some bacteria, such as staphylococcus (staph), produce toxins not destroyed by high cooking temperatures.

33. Myth 8 If a hamburger is brown in the middle, it is cooked to a safe internal temperature.

34. Fact 8 1 out of 4 hamburgers turns brown before it has been cooked to a safe internal temperature. Source: United States Department of Agriculture/Food Safety & Inspection Service http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/therm/researchfs.htm

35. Which ground beef patty is cooked to a safe internal temperature? A B Source: United States Department of Agriculture/Food Safety & Inspection Servicehttp://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/therm/researchfs.htm

36. A B This is NOT a safely cooked hamburger. Though brown inside, it’s undercooked. This IS a safely cooked hamburger, (internal temperature of 160ºF), even though pink inside. Source: United States Department of Agriculture/Food Safety & Inspection Service http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/therm/researchfs.htm

37. Research shows some ground beef patties look done at internal temperaturesas low as 135ºF.

38. The ONLY way to know food has been cooked to a safe internal temperature is to use a food thermometer!

39. Cook to 160°F

40. Food thermometers & thin foods

41. Myth 9 Meat and poultry should be washed before cooking.

42. Fact 9 Washing is NOT necessary or recommended.

43. Washing increasesthe danger of cross-contamination,spreading bacteriapresent on thesurface of meat andpoultry to: • ready-to-eat foods • kitchen utensils • counter surfaces.

44. Cooking meat and poultry to the recommended internal temperature will make them safe to eat.

45. USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures • Steaks & Roasts - 145°F • Fish - 145°F • Pork - 160°F • Ground Beef - 160°F • Egg Dishes - 160°F • Chicken Breasts - 165°F • Whole Poultry - 165°F

46. Myth 10 We shouldbe scared of eating almost everything!

47. Fact 10 “... the American food supply continues to be among the safest in the world.” Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D., Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, November 15, 2006 at http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2006_11_15/Brackett.pdf

48. I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship. Proper foodhandling helpsassure foodis safe to eat. 4 steps follow ... Louisa May Alcott, Author

49. Clean.Wash hands, utensils, and cuttingboards before and after contact withraw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs.

50. Separate.Keep raw meat and poultry apart fromfoods that won’t be cooked.