A new report on food safety in America was recently released by the American Association for Justice (AAJ). If you joined the farm-to-table movement yet, reading Food Safety and the Civil Justice System will have you seriously rethinking your approach to food. But even that may not be enough to keep you safe in the wake of the far-reaching repercussions created by our massive corporate food industry. It is up to each of us to do what we can, where we can, to improve food safety.
Some Scary Statistics
According to the report, each year food-borne illness results in:
- 48 million people sickened
- 128,000 hospitalized
- At least 3,000 killed
And those are just the cases that are reported. According to the report, most cases are not reported. It give the example of salmonella in which only one out of every 30 cases is even diagnosed.
Keeping Your Family Safe
Of course you want to make the very best food choices that you can, but for many of us obtaining all, or even most, of our food from ideal sources is an unattainable goal. Too often, locally grown foods are still unavailable or unaffordable. And even if you buy from only the most trustworthy sources, or grow your own food, safe food handling practices should not be ignored. The AAJ recommends following some basic guidelines such as:
- Wash your hands before preparing food, and immediately after touching raw meat and other raw animal products, such as eggs or juices from meat.
- Wash all utensils and work surfaces immediately after contact with raw animal products.
- Avoid cross-contamination by keeping foods that will not be cooked away from raw animal products.
- Designate a separate cutting board for meat to help prevent cross-contamination.
- Cook meat and eggs to the recommended safe internal temperature.
- If you are served undercooked meat or eggs in a restaurant, send them back.
- Sterilize your sponges daily.
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