Preventing Food Borne Illnesses

During an electrical outage or other emergency situation, the chances of getting a food borne illness are potentially higher than normal. Luckily, according to the Center for Disease Control there are a few precautions that can dramatically reduce the chances of it occurring.

Here are some specific suggestions from the CDC website:

• Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk.
• Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
• Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
• Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
• Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.
• Don't work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.

I am often guilty about washing my hands after contact with my pet bird. Based on this list of suggestions, I need to be more careful. I've known about the potential for years, but admittedly I've lapsed now and then.

When the power goes out for more than a few hours, it's time to begin thinking about the possibility of discarding refrigerated foods. The USDA recommends that meat, fish and poultry be maintained at temperatures below or above the danger zone, with the danger zone defined as above 40 degrees or below 140 degrees for 4 hours. If the refrigerator loses power, it's better safe than sorry. It's better to lose some food, than to get sick from a preventable illness.

Foods stored in the freezer can last for a longer period, but I'd rather check it closely with a meat thermometer to ensure it's safe to retain it than risk illness.