Each year, millions of Americans become ill from foodborne illnesses and
thousands die. To help prevent foodborne illness, you can take steps to ensure the
safety
of the food you eat. To learn more about food safety, take this quiz, based on information
from the FDA.
1. You should use soap to clean your fruits and vegetables before
eating them.
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correct answer is
You should not use
soap, detergents, or bleaches on fruits or vegetables, according to the FDA. Instead,
rinse them thoroughly under running water. If you must remove surface dirt, use a
small
vegetable brush. Cut out damaged or bruised areas.
2. Tomatoes that are leaking should not be eaten.
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Tomatoes that are
leaking have spoiled and should not be eaten. The bacteria found in rotting tomatoes
can
cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
3. Don't buy food in damaged containers at the grocery.
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Packaging is meant
to protect the food item from bacteria and other contamination. If a container is
damaged, the food inside could be contaminated.
4. A product that has passed its "Best If Used By" date should be
discarded because it is no longer safe to eat.
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This date is used
to indicate when a food may begin to decline in flavor or quality. It does not refer
to
safety. "Expiration Date" indicates the last date that a food should be eaten. "Sell
By"
and "Use By" are similar in purpose to the "Best If Used By" date. If you see a food
item at a store that has passed its "Best If Used By" date, you might want to pass
it up
for something fresher.
5. Food that is packaged "sous vide" doesn't need
refrigeration.
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"Sous vide" means
"under vacuum." These plastic pouches contain either raw foods or foods that have
been
partially cooked, then sealed in a vacuum before processing with heat. This kind of
packaging should be refrigerated and should keep three to four weeks. When you are
ready
to eat it, the pouch is heated in boiling water.
6. When you buy hot foods, you should eat them within two
hours.
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When you buy hot
cooked food, you should eat it within 2 hours to avoid harmful bacteria that begin
to
multiply. If you aren't eating the food within 2 hours and want to keep it hot, place
the food in the oven at or above 140 F (60 C). Cover food in the oven to keep it moist.
If you want to bring home leftovers from a restaurant meal, but don't expect to be
home
within 2 hours, it's safer to pass up the leftovers. Cold foods should get similar
care.
If you are not eating cold food within 2 hours after buying or preparing it, put it
in
the refrigerator or freezer for later use.
7. If you don't eat all of your brown bag lunch, you should
always pitch the leftovers when you get home from work or school.
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If the leftovers
are perishable—an egg salad sandwich, for instance—and you did not have a cold pack
in
your lunch bag, you should throw out the sandwich. Foods that have been kept correctly
cold, or that are nonperishable, can be saved for another meal. When in doubt, discard
a
food item rather than eating it.
8. To kill any Salmonella present on or inside a raw egg, cook
eggs until the yolk is firm.
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Even eggs that
are clean and have uncracked shells may occasionally contain Salmonella bacteria,
which
can cause an intestinal infection. For safety, eggs should be cooked until the yolks
and
whites are firm. Scrambled eggs should be firm throughout.
