Is Your Food Safe to Eat?

E. Coli and Salmonella are back in the news again. This week it’s from frozen beef patties, but earlier this month it was more bagged spinach. Imported seafood may be contaminated with antibiotics and mercury, chickens have been eating recalled pet food… it’s enough to make a person wonder every time they take a bite of their lunch or dinner.

So how do we ensure the food we eat is safe?

Web MD offers a little advice
on imported food and here are a few other suggestions:

1. Buy local produce.
2. Buy seafood from a trusted grocer who knows where it came from. Check the regional Seafood Watch Guide before purchasing seafood.
3. Buy well-known brand names that have more at stake.
4. Check the FDA’s recall website periodically.
5. Rinse all produce thoroughly… even washed, triple-washed, ready-to-eat bagged produce.
6. Remove the outer layer of a head of lettuce. This is where germs are likely to hide.
7. If you’re eating sprouts, cook them first.
8. Order that cheeseburger well done.
9. Choose eggs from organic-fed chickens (they carry less salmonella) and cook thoroughly.
10. Cook: chicken to 165 degrees, burgers to 160, other meats and fish to 145.

Fortunately, unsafe food sources only account for about 3% of food poisoning cases. The rest come from eating raw cookie dough. Right, Mom?