Summer Food Safety Tips from the Healthcare Field

Knowledge about health and safety precautions is good at any time, but in the warmer summer weather it is even more important to observe common sense measures in dealing with food preparation and storage. As a former longtime worker in geriatric healthcare, I was surprised at some of the misconceptions many people have about this subject, especially in certain geographical locations. For example, in areas where I lived in the South, many held the belief that it's okay to leave prepared foods out for indeterminate periods of time as long as it is on the stove; in the Midwest, a commonly held belief is that food will last nearly forever as long as it is covered. Both are very mistaken; and I've known many people for whom the result was debilitating cases of food poisoning.

In the kitchen of a nursing home where I worked, a poster was prominently displayed-- "Keep Hot Foods Hot, Keep Cold Foods Cold, and Refrigerate Leftovers Promptly." It wasn't until years later that I found not all people realize the importance of this, based on the fact that bacteria begins to grow in prepared foods within ten minutes. Therefore it is imperative to keep foods at their prepared temperatures, and to chill leftovers down to the temperature of refrigeration as soon as possible. Covering foods does nothing to protect against the growth of bacteria, as the bacteria grows within the food; the only purpose of covering foods is to preserve its texture or to ensure that foods with strong aromas, such as tunafish, for example, not permeate surrounding foods with its aroma.

Another health and safety precaution is to keep one's kitchen, work surface, utensils and other items used in food preparation, and the hands of the preparer, as clean as possible. It is preferable that all of these be cleaned with very hot water, rather than so-called sanitizers or cleansers made with toxic chemicals. The oldfashioned method of washing dishes with hot soapy water is healthier and more productive than any of the newer substances.

Grocery shopping can present unnecessary health risks also. For those who must travel a distance to purchase their groceries, it is wise to use an ice-filled cooler or insulated bags which can be frozen before use, to transport perishable items. One should limit traveling time to be as short as possible, and refrigerate all perishable foods and drinks as soon as one gets home. Likewise, if you enjoy picnics or other outings which involve either prepared or perishable foods, these items should be kept chilled until you are ready to consume them. As a general rule, anything which has been cooked, and anything which normally belongs in the refrigerator, should not be left out for more than a few minutes.

Summer can be the best time of the year-- exercise common sense in dealing with your food in order to avoid any unnecessary health risks connected to the mishandling of food.