001053 Food Safety: Keep Guests Out of Kitchen

Denver, CO - The fever, sore muscles and gut-wrenching stomach cramps you may chalk up to a seasonal case of the flu could actually be caused by a dangerous pathogen lurking in the burger you prepared for dinner last night.

According to survey findings discussed at the American Dietetic Association's annual meeting on Monday, about 60% of Americans have never considered whether flu-like symptoms could be the result of food poisoning contracted at home. Yet influenza and foodborne illness can have similar symptoms including headache, stomach cramps, fever and fatigue.

“A lot of consumers don't recognize that the fact that they are sick could be (due to) a foodborne illness,” Nadine Pazder, a registered dietitian at Mortan Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida, said.

While food poisoning may be transient in many of the 76 million Americans who contract a food-related illness each year, it can have more dire consequences for young children, the elderly and people whose immune system is already weak from medication such as chemotherapy, or diseases such as AIDS, Pazder added.

To be sure, food that is already contaminated due to improper packing or handling is responsible for some outbreaks of food poisoning. But in many cases, it is caused by sloppy cooking and cleaning habits at home and can be prevented by simple measures such as hand washing and heating food to temperatures high enough to kill microbes, said Maria Alamo Cameron, the registered dietitian who presented the findings.

The telephone survey of more than 1,000 adults nationwide found that while 74% knew that eating meat and chicken that has not been cooked to proper temperatures could cause food poisoning, only 12% always used a meat thermometer. Only 3% said they used a thermometer when cooking dishes with eggs, which can harbor salmonella. Recently, a consumer group found that eggs are the second leading cause of food poisoning in the US, after seafood.

In other findings, 78% knew that failing to wash a cutting board after using it to prepare meat could contaminate other foods. But only 17% said they sanitized a cutting board with bleach before using it again.

“The kitchen is probably the most dangerous room in the house,” Pazder said in an interview.

To protect consumers, the American Dietetic Association recommends that home cooks wash their hands in warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before preparing food and after touching raw meat, poultry or seafood.

Using one cutting board for raw meats and another for fruits, vegetables and other foods that may not be cooked can also cut down on cases of food poisoning. Cross-contamination occurs when juices from raw meats mingle with other foods.

Food thermometers can also help home cooks ensure that hamburgers and egg dishes have reached the recommended 160 degrees Fahrenheit and that chicken dishes have reached 170 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Using a meat thermometer is the only reliable way to check our food,” Cameron said.

Finally, refrigerating foods below 40 degrees Fahrenheit can slow the growth of bacteria. Leftover food should not stay on the table for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot weather.

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