Reducing Food Poisoning Risks

While officials are reporting that there has been a decline in the number of reported Salmonella poisonings in recent years, they say that the overall rate of food poisoning outbreaks has not declined.   Salmonella is said to be the most common form of food poisoning, accounting for 38% of all food poisoning outbreaks. Although Salmonella outbreaks have been declining, they are still higher than the CDC’s goals of lowering the percentage to 11.4 out of 100,000 cases. While Salmonella outbreaks are declining, there seems to have been a rise in other types of food-borne illness, such as Vibrio (resulting from consuming shellfish), Campylobacter bacterium (which affects meats and veggies like Salmonella does), and E. Coli.   In addition to having companies using safer ingredients and improving their internal controls, there are also steps that can be taken by consumers, as well as the food service industry, to further help reduce food poisoning risks.   Tips for reducing food poisoning risks:   *Use caution to ensure that raw meats aren’t prepared on the same surfaces that are used to prepare fruits, veggies, and other foods. *Wear gloves when preparing raw meats *Practice good hand hygiene *Always disinfect surfaces before and after preparing foods (especially raw meats!) *Wash all produce before preparing and serving it *Ensure that meats are fully cooked   Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_145745.html