Safe Eating

If you're like many people, eating a lot of food with family and friends is a big part of celebrating the Christmas holiday. But if you assume that safe food handling should only be a concern when it comes to preparing meat, you could run into trouble. Other foods such as unpasteurized dairy products, fruit juice or cider and products containing raw eggs can make you sick too.

Lots of people suffer from food borne illness. According to Health Canada, there are more than 2 million cases of food poisoning every year. Most of these cases are not serious, although even mild symptoms can include an upset stomach or diarrhea. Sometimes people mistakenly think they have a case of the "stomach flu".

What is making me sick?

You can get sick by eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins. Sometimes these organisms may already be present in the food you're about to prepare or you may unknowingly contaminate your food by not handling it safely.

There are two types of food poisoning that can make you ill: infection and intoxication. Salmonella, for example, is caused by an organism that can infect raw poultry. If it's present in your chicken or turkey, it can grow and multiply very quickly. If you eat undercooked meat infected with salmonella, the lining of your intestines will become irritated·but it will take a while before you actually start to feel sick. Intoxication food poisoning, such as botulism can infect smoked fish or canned food. Once food gets contaminated with something like botulism you can bet on feeling sick right away.

Common Symptoms

Diarrhea
Vomiting
Fever
Stomach ache
Nausea
General malaise
Fatigue

Four Simple Rules

Health Canada suggests you follow these four simple rules to help you prepare, serve and store your food safely this holiday season:

Chill ... refrigerate promptly. Bacteria grow rapidly at room temperature; so don't leave turkey or other foods that should be refrigerated sitting on the kitchen counter or in the car. Keep unfrozen raw turkey and other raw meats in the refrigerator until you are ready to handle and cook them. Foods left out of the refrigerator more than two hours should be discarded.

Clean ... wash hands and surfaces often. Wash your hands before and after handling raw turkey and meat. Thoroughly wash dishes, cutting boards, counters and utensils with hot water and detergent. Disinfect them using dilute chlorine bleach (1 tsp. bleach in 3 cups of water), rinse with fresh water, and dry. You can also clean the cutting boards and utensils in the dishwasher. Dishcloths used for wiping utensils, pots and pans can harbour many bacteria, and should be changed daily. Dishcloths can be washed first and then disinfected by soaking in dilute bleach or simply cleaned in automatic washers and then dried. Any utensils that have come into contact with potentially hazardous foods or contaminated dishrags should be thoroughly washed before being used on cooked or ready-to-eat foods.

Separate ... don't cross-contaminate. Take care that juices and marinades from meat and turkey do not drip onto other foods. Keep raw meats and turkey separate from cooked meats and cold cuts in the refrigerator. Never put cooked turkey on unwashed plates that previously held raw foods of animal origin or unwashed fruits and vegetables.

Cook ... to proper temperature. Cook birds until the internal temperature in the breast or thigh is 85^oC (185^oF). The temperature of the separately cooked stuffing should reach 74^oC (165^oF). Use of a meat thermometer is strongly recommended. Turkey is likely to be done when the meat is tender to a fork or the meat throughout is no longer pink. Slow cooking is not advised for large pieces of fresh or frozen meat because the temperature may be insufficient to kill all hazardous bacteria. Cooked foods should be eaten hot. Foods left to cool at room temperature may encourage the rapid growth of bacteria. Never eat raw or undercooked turkey. Cooked turkey, if not eaten immediately, should be deboned and the meat placed in small packages in the refrigerator for more rapid and uniform cooling. If not deboned, the leftover meat should be cooled to below 4^oC (40^oF) in less than 4 hours. Use up refrigerated leftovers within two to three days. Foods should be reheated until they are piping hot throughout before serving.