There is always an unfortunate occasion, when a simple mistake in the way we handle and prepare food leads to serious sickness. With abundance of germs like Salmonella, just a small amount in undercooked food
is enough to cause food poisoning. And just a tiny taste of food with botulism toxin can cause severe
repercussions. However, the good news is, we can protect ourselves by avoiding these common mistakes.
Below are the common mistakes we should avoid, and protect ourselves…
#1: Not washing hands regularly.
• Germs on your hands can get on food and make it unsafe.
#2: Peeling fruits and vegetables without washing them first.
• Fruits and vegetables may have germs on their peeling or skin. It’s easy to transfer those germs to the inside
of fruits and vegetables when you cut or peel them.
#3: Washing meat, chicken, or turkey.
• Washing raw meat, chicken, turkey, or eggs can spread germs to the sink, countertops, and other surfaces in
the kitchen. Those germs can get on other foods, like salads or fruit, and make you sick.
#4: Eating raw batter or dough, including cookie dough, and other foods with uncooked eggs or uncooked flour.
• Flour and uncooked eggs may contain Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, or other harmful bacteria.
#5: Putting cooked meat back on a plate that held raw meat.
• Germs from the raw meat can spread to the cooked meat.
#6: Not cooking meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, or eggs thoroughly.
• Cooked food is safe only after it’s been cooked to a high enough temperature to kill germs.
#7: Tasting or smelling food to see if it’s still good.
• We can’t taste, smell, or see the food poisoning germs. Tasting only a tiny amount can make you very sick.
#8: Thawing or marinating food on the counter
• Harmful germs can multiply very quickly at room temperature.
#9: Leaving food out too long before putting it in the fridge.
• Harmful germs grow in perishable foods (including meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, eggs, cut fruit, cooked
rice, and leftovers) if you leave them out of the refrigerator for 2 hours or longer.
#10: Eating risky foods if you are prone to get food poisoning.
• Anyone can get food poisoning. But some are more likely to get sick and to have a more serious illness.
(Adults aged 65+, Children younger than 5 years, People who have health problems or who take medicines
that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness (weakened immune systems) and Pregnant women.
