{"id":16090,"date":"2010-06-17T20:48:45","date_gmt":"2010-06-18T00:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/miserybay.usanethosting.com\/wordpress\/?p=16090"},"modified":"2010-06-17T20:48:45","modified_gmt":"2010-06-18T00:48:45","slug":"mmdhd-46","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/mmdhd-46\/","title":{"rendered":"Foodborne illness is no picnic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that backyard barbeques and family picnics are in full swing, the Mid-Michigan District Health Department (MMDHD) would like to take the opportunity to reinforce the importance of proper food handling and remind residents that food safety should always be on the front burner.
\nDuring the summer months more people cook outside at picnics, barbeques and while camping, without easy access to refrigeration and washing facilities to keep food safe. “As the temperature rises, so does the risk of foodborne illness,” said Kimberly Singh, Health Officer for MMDHD. “Hot, humid weather creates the perfect conditions for the rapid growth of bacteria.”
\nThe most common types of foodborne illnesses are those caused by the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella and E coli, and by a group of viruses called calicivirus, also known as Norovirus.
\n“Many food-related illnesses go unreported due to the mistaken belief that it is just the \u201824 hour flu,\u2019 said Singh. “Common foodborne illness symptoms consist of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and on average last 24 to 48 hours.”
\nTo minimize the risks of foodborne illness, follow these four easy steps when handling and preparing food:
\nStep One \u2013 Clean<\/strong>
\nWash hands and surfaces often to avoid the spread of bacteria.
\n\u00b7 Wash hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food, and after handling raw meats or poultry, using the bathroom, touching pets or changing diapers. Hand sanitizer is a good alternative if no soap and water are available.
\n\u00b7 Always wash raw fruits and vegetables in clean water. You cannot tell whether foods carry surface bacteria by the way they look, smell or taste.
\nStep Two \u2013 SEPARATE<\/strong>
\nKeep raw meats and poultry separate from cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.
\n\u00b7 When you pack a cooler for an outing, wrap uncooked meats and poultry securely, and put them on the bottom to prevent raw juices from dripping onto other foods.
\n\u00b7 Keep all plates, utensils and cutting boards that touched or held raw meat or poultry separate from those to be used for cooked foods. Do not reuse plates, utensils and cutting boards for cooked foods after they have been used for raw foods. Pack extra paper goods and properly wash all used items at home.
\nStep Three \u2013 COOK<\/strong>
\nMake sure you kill harmful bacteria by properly cooking food.
\n\u00b7 Traditional visual cues like color are not a guarantee that food is safe. Don’t guess! Take a digital instant-read food thermometer along to check when meat and poultry are safe to eat. Cooked foods are safe to eat when internal temperatures are:
\no 155o F for 15 seconds for ground beef
\no 145o F for 15 seconds for beef steak
\no 165o F for 15 seconds for poultry
\no 145o F for 15 seconds for pork chops\/steak
\nStep Four \u2013 CHILL<\/strong> (Keep cold food cold)
\n\u00b7 Perishable foods that are normally in the refrigerator, such as luncheon meats, cooked meat, chicken, and potato or pasta salads, must be kept in an insulated cooler with freezer packs or bags of ice to keep the temperature at or near 40o F.
\n\u00b7 Put leftovers back in the cooler as soon as you are finished eating.
\n\u00b7 The simple rule is: When in doubt, throw it out.
\nFor more information on proper food handling visit the United States Department of Agriculture website at www.usda.gov<\/a> or call MMDHD at 989-831-3607 in Montcalm County, 989-875-1002 in Gratiot County and 989-227-3110 in Clinton County.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that backyard barbeques and family picnics are in full swing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16090\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}