July 28--Nothing kills a good time at a festival, cookout or camping trip like a food-borne illness.
Food-borne illnesses peak during the summer because bacteria in soil, air, water, animals and people multiply faster given the right conditions -- hot and humid weather -- and because of food handling at large gatherings and events.
Kitchen Cleanup 101
Click here for a visual guide with tips for cleaning up your kitchen and storing food to prevent food-borne illnesses.
Food-borne illnesses
Food-borne illnesses are caused by pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. More than 76 million people in the U.S. contract food-borne illnesses each year. About 325,000 cases require hospitalization and 5,000 people die. The most severe cases tend to occur in the elderly, children, people with a weakened immune system, and in healthy people exposed to a very high dose of an organism.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cooking for Crowds
Penn State Cooperative Extension's class Cooking for Crowds teaches practical food safety strategies for nonprofit organizations that serve food to large groups of people. The three-hour class costs about $8 a person and includes handouts and a thermometer. To schedule a class for your organization, call 840-7408. For details about the class, visit foodsafety.psu.edu.
Tips
1. Clean your refrigerator at least once a month. If you spill something, clean it up well. Discard old items on a regular basis.
2. Buy a thermometer. Many people don't take the temperature of the food they cook or serve. Also, monitor the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer. Refrigerators should be 38 degrees or lower. Freezers should be 0 degrees.
3. Be wary of leftovers. How was the food handled before the picnic? If it wasn't prepared and cooled properly, taking that roasted chicken home might be a bad idea. Was that pasta salad chilled properly? If not, don't even think about taking it to go.
4. Wash hands often and keep good personal hygiene.
5. Avoid cross contamination. A plate that had raw burgers on it should not be reused for cooked burgers.
- Marcia Weber, extension agent for Penn State Cooperative Extension
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