Why is it important?

Improper handling of food can easily lead to foodborne illness. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), 1 in 6 Americans gets a foodborne illness each year 128,000 cases require hospitalization and 3,000 cases result in death each year. So what is foodborne illness? It can be any illness resulting for the consumption of contaminated food. It is also known as food poisoning (if you ever had it you know it's not pretty). These illnesses can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, or chemicals.

How does food become contaminated? Many microbes are present in healthy animals raised for food. Fruits and vegetables can become contaminated when washed with contaminated water. Foods can be contaminated by improper handling (unclean hands, or transfer of bacteria on knives and cutting boards).

So what can you do to reduce this risk? Both on and off the boat. Government food safety programs recommend you follow these four easy checks:

Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. Let's take a brief look at each one.

Clean:

The food you eat can become contaminated if you do not properly clean before and after preparing food. Washing your hands, utensils, surfaces, and fresh produce the "right way" can help spread contaminates? So what is the "right way?"

Washing your hands. Wet your hands with warm or cold running water and apply soap. Rub your hands together and scrub well, both sides of your hands and under fingernails. Bacteria can hide there too. Continuing washing for approximately 20 seconds. Rinse your hands well under running water. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry.

Your hands should be washed before eating food, before and after preparing food, after handling of uncooked eggs, raw meat, poultry, and seafood, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, after touching waste or garbage, and after using the head.

Surfaces and Utensils. It is important to wash all surfaces, such as cutting boards and counter tops after each use. A simple rinse is not enough to kill bacteria and viruses. Utensils, cutting boards, and counter tops should be washed with hot soapy water after each use. Surfaces can also be cleaned by mixing of teaspoon of unscented liquid bleach per quart of water and flooding the surface with the bleach solution and letting it stand 10 minutes.

Washing fresh produce: Cut away any damaged or bruised areas. Rinse produce under running water. Don't use any soap or bleach. Scrub firm produce such as melon, cucumbers, or potatoes with a clean produce brush. Dry produce with a paper towel and clean cloth. Bagged produce marked "pre-washed" is safe to use without further washing.

Do not wash raw meat or poultry. Washing can actually spread contaminates to the sink and countertops. Do not wash eggs. They come "pre-washed", extra handling can cross-contaminate.

Separate:

Use one cutting board for produce and one for raw meat, poultry or seafood. Or clean the same cutting board very well after each use. Once a cutting board gets excessively worn or develops had to clean grooves consider replacing.

Use separate plates and utensils for cooked and raw foods.

When shopping in the grocery store always separate raw meat, poultry, and eggs from other foods in your shopping cart.

Always place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in plastic bags to keep their juices from dripping on other foods.

When placing food in the refrigerator, place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in containers or sealed plastic bags to prevent dripping or leaking onto other foods. If you're planning on using these foods within a few days, freeze them instead. Keep eggs in their original carton and store them in the main compartment in the refrigerator, not in the door.

Cook:

Cooking your food safely requires a thermometer! To kill bacteria in meat, poultry and eggs, they must be cooked at the right temperature.

The thermometer should be placed in the thickest part of the meat, not touching bone, fat, or gristle.

Clean your thermometer with hot soapy water after each use.

The possibility of bacterial growth actually increases as food cools after cooking because the drop in temperature allows bacteria to thrive. But you can keep your food above the safe temperature of 140F by using a heat source like a chafing dish, warming tray, or slow cooker.

When using a microwave, stir your food in the middle of heating. If the food label says, "Let stand for x minutes after cooking, allow the food stand for the time. Letting your food sit for a few minutes actually helps your food to cook more completely.

After waiting a few minutes, check the food with a food thermometer to make sure it is 165F or above.

Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures:

Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb - 160F.

Poultry - 165F.

Eggs - Cook until yolk and white are firm. Egg dishes, Leftovers,  160F - 165F.

Fin Fish - 145F or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork. Shellfish Shellfish - Cook until shells open during cooking.

Chill:

Did you know that Illness causing bacteria can grow in perishable foods within two hours unless you refrigerate them? And if the temperature is 90F or higher during the summer, cut that time down to 1 hour.

Never thaw or marinate foods on the counter. Many people are surprised at this tip. But bacteria can multiply rapidly at room temperature, thawing or marinating foods on the counter is one of the riskiest things you can do when preparing food.

Know when to throw foods out. You can't tell just by smelling whether harmful bacteria has started growing in your leftover or refrigerated foods.

Storage Periods:

Salads - Such as egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads - Refrigerator 3 to 5 days

Hot dogs - Opened package - 1 week, unopened package - 2 weeks

Luncheon Meat - opened package - 3 to 5 days, unopened package - 2 weeks

Hamburger and other ground meats - 1 to 2 days

Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and pork - 3 to 5 days

Fresh poultry - 1 to 2 days

Leftovers - Cooked meat or poultry - 3 to 4 days, chicken nuggets or patties - 3 to 4 days, pizza - 3 to 4 days.