Is your kitchen making you sick? How to prevent food poisoning

Each year in the United States, there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although companies may make headlines when they recall a food due to contamination, the truth is, food poisoning isn’t always the result of bad practices in restaurants or food processing facilities. 

Since food can become contaminated at any stage of production, from harvesting to storing to cooking, nowhere is 100 percent safe—and it can even happen in your own kitchen.  

Read on for tips to keep your home free from food poisoning.

The best way to keep your kitchen free from foodborne illness is to keep it clean. Wash your hands before and after handling food. Also sanitize countertops and cooking surfaces with a clean sponge or dishrag before and after cooking, says Kelly Snow, a registered dietitian in South Carolina.

“People continually use the same sponge to clean their dishes, and that sponge harbors a lot of bacteria that can be spread [throughout your kitchen],” adds Snow.

Don’t forget to clean and sanitize cutting boards with hot, soapy water, baking soda, or a bleach solution, either. And if your cutting board has too many knife scars on it, go ahead and toss it, she says; bacteria love hiding out in those tiny crevices.

What you buy and how you shop are also important tools in preventing germs from coming home with you.

The FDA recommends keeping raw meats and seafood away from other foods in your cart as you shop, and bagging them separately at checkout. Also keep an eye out for dents, bulges, and cracks in canned foods or food packaged in glass jars. This could be a sign that the food has been under-processed or contaminated.

If you buy frozen foods or perishables, purchase them last to prevent spoiling, and make sure you put away all perishable items within two hours of getting home. If the temperature is above 90°F, do it within one hour.

If you’re storing meats, poultry, or seafood in the fridge to use right away, keep them on the bottom to prevent the liquid from leaking onto other food, says Snow. The FDA also recommends keeping all animal products separated from other foods in the fridge.

If you plan on freezing meat, adds Snow, do so by the use-by date. You can store frozen, uncooked ground beef for three to four months, uncooked poultry parts for nine months and uncooked steak or chops for four to 12 months.

Also, keep eggs, dairy, produce and ready-to-eat foods such as lunch meats stored in a refrigerator set at 40°F or less. Store fruits and veggies separate from each other, as some fruits can emit ethylene, a ripening agent that can spoil surrounding vegetables.

Cooking foods to the right temperature can also help kill dangerous pathogens. It’s important to note that some meats—specifically steaks, roasts, chops, and raw ham—need a three-minute rest period after being cooked. This helps the centermost parts become fully cooked. 

Here are the target internal temperatures for different types of food, plus some telltale indications foods are fully cooked:

• Ground beef and pork: 160°F 
• Ground or whole chicken and turkey: 165°F
• Beef, pork, or lamb steaks, roasts, and chops: 145°F 
• Precooked ham: 165°F
• Fish: 145°F, or until skin is pearly and opaque and flesh flakes easily
• Shrimp, lobster, crab, and scallops: 145°F, or until pearly and opaque
• Clams, oysters, and mussels: Cook until shells open
• Eggs: Cook until whites and yolks are firm
• Leftovers and casseroles: 165°F

It can be tough knowing whether the food in your house is still safe to eat, but packaging dates are a good place to start. Although these dates don’t necessarily indicate the safety of a food (except for infant formula), it’s best not to purchase foods that have been sitting on the shelf past the expiration date.

Stick to these tips when you get your groceries home:

• Use eggs within three weeks of purchase.
• If you’re not freezing them, use fresh fish and ground meats within two days, and steaks or chops within three to five days.
• Follow expiration dates on dairy.  

Always heed your senses. If something doesn’t look or smell right, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Compost the food when appropriate, or throw it in the trash.

Storing leftovers is a great budget-saver, but you have to be careful about how long you let things sit in the fridge.

“No more than four days for leftovers,” says Snow. “And dating them is always a good idea, whether it’s the date you put them in the refrigerator or the day it was cooked.”

Also be on the lookout for anything that appears spoiled. If your leftovers are growing mold, it’s definitely time to toss them out.

Here are additional strategies to help prevent food poisoning:

• Never prepare raw meats and poultry on the same surface as fruits, veggies, or other fresh foods. They should be cooked, stored, and prepared separately to prevent cross-contamination of bacteria and germs, says Snow.
• The longer foods stay at room temperature, the more likely they are to begin growing bacteria. The quicker you cool and refrigerate, the better. Hot foods can be safely put in the fridge and won’t harm your refrigerator. It helps to divide large pots of food into individual shallow containers so that they cool more quickly.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 46 percent of food poisoning comes from produce. Always wash your fruits and veggies before using.
• Make sure your fridge isn’t packed to the brim. To keep the food safe, cold air has to be able to circulate inside.