Hot weather is a good time to think about food safety. You don't even want to think about eating that potatoe salad that you brought to work but forgot to put in the refridgerator. Or that cheese and ham sandwich that has been sitting in your desk drawer since 8:30 a.m. Of course, even in winter, you should skip eating anything that has eggs in it and has been sitting on the counter or in a desk drawer for a couple of hours or more.
Naturally, hot weather isn't the only threat. One of the first rules of food handling is to wash your hands. The second is to wash the food, especially fruits and vegetables. Humans can pass on diseases such as cryptosporidiosis either by failing to wash their hands or the green onions. Also, kitchens must be clean and meat and vegetables never cut on the same cutting board. It is also unwise to cut cooked meat on a board that has just been used to cut raw meat. You never know what you are passing on until it is too late.
Here is a little quiz to test your food safety knowledge. I took it and, not to brag, well maybe a little ,got nine out of ten. Fortunately, there is considerable information across the internet that will help you improve your food safety knowledge. I found this helpful site while visiting Pier Jones food preservation page.
Next week, I will look at specific threats to food safety such as mad cow disease and other controversial issues like food irradation. Until then enjoy your surfing.
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