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Top Ten Tips for Keeping Fruits and Vegetables Safe from Salmonella and E. Coli
Hollywood, FL
Monday, March 24, 2008
Debra Holtzman
Eating fresh produce is a top priority for most families. "But there are some hidden dangers in some of the healthiest foods," warns Debra Holtzman, J.D., M.A, an internationally acclaimed safety and health expert and best-selling author of The Safe Baby: A Do-it-yourself Guide to Home Safety (Sentient Publications).
According to the Federal estimates, about 76 million Americans will suffer from foodborne illness and at least 5,000 will die this year. "Anybody can get a foodborne illness, but a greater risk for more extreme complications exists in infants and children, older people, pregnant women, post operative or individuals with compromised immune systems." says Holtzman.
Debra Holtzman recommends following these important 10 safety tips when serving fresh fruits and vegetables to your family:
1. Wash ALL produce (just before eating, cutting or cooking) thoroughly under clear, clean, running water. If appropriate, use a scrub brush. Holtzman recommends that you do not wash produce with household soap; soap residues are very difficult to completely rinse off and most soaps are not meant to be consumed.
Important Note: Be aware that bacteria are sticky, so even thorough washing may not remove all contamination. In order to kill the bacteria, you need to cook the product.
2. Wash and scrub produce that has a rind, too, such as cantaloupe and pineapple. Why? Pathogens on the outside of the rind can contaminate the inside when you cut it.
Also, rinse the peel of a banana, which may contain bacteria on the surface that can easily be transferred to you hands.
3. Make sure the produce isn't brownish, slimy, dried-out, or damaged. Toss out produce if the skin is broken. Organisms may have crawled into the pulp, and you won't be able to wash them out.
4. When washing lettuce and other leafy vegetables, discard the outer leaves. Separate the inner leaves and wash thoroughly. As an extra measure of caution, Holtzman recommends that you also wash pre-washed bagged produce just before you use it.
5. Raw alfalfa sprouts, clover sprouts and radish sprouts have all been associated with salmonella and E. coli. Cook sprouts thoroughly to kill off the bacteria.
6. Buy pasteurized fruit juices and cider. Pasteurization kills bacteria. If you are unsure whether the product is pasteurized, bring it to a boil for a minute before cooling and drinking.
7. When cleaning mushrooms, use a mushroom brush. After washing the mushrooms, lay them on a paper towel and pat dry.
8. Purchase two cutting boards. One for cutting produce and other ready-to-eat foods and one for raw meat, poultry and fish. If the boards can be cleaned in the dishwasher, so much the better.
9. Once fruits and vegetables are cut, limit their time at room temperature. If perishable food is left at room temperature for more than two hours, bacteria can grow to harmful levels.
If buying fresh-cut, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, be sure they are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
10. Keep up-to-date on product recalls and safety alerts. Visit www.recalls.gov
Important Note: The U.S. Food and Drug administration is advising everyone that purchased cantaloupe to make sure it didn't originate from Agropecuaria Montelibano. The Honduran grower and packer was named Saturday in an FDA import alert as the possible link to a Salmonella Litchfield outbreak in the U.S. and Canada.
Lastly, remember before and after handling produce to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least twenty seconds.
Debra Holtzman has a master's degree in Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) and is an attorney. She been appeared on major TV news and radio shows around the world and was chosen a Reader's Digest Everyday Hero. "The Safe Baby: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Home Safety" (Sentient Publications) offers parents economical, easy-to-implement solutions to provide a safe, healthy, and green living lifestyle for children, dogs and cats.
Interviews may be arranged via: E-mail: safebook@aol.com http://thesafetyexpert.com
According to the Federal estimates, about 76 million Americans will suffer from foodborne illness and at least 5,000 will die this year. "Anybody can get a foodborne illness, but a greater risk for more extreme complications exists in infants and children, older people, pregnant women, post operative or individuals with compromised immune systems." says Holtzman.
Debra Holtzman recommends following these important 10 safety tips when serving fresh fruits and vegetables to your family:
1. Wash ALL produce (just before eating, cutting or cooking) thoroughly under clear, clean, running water. If appropriate, use a scrub brush. Holtzman recommends that you do not wash produce with household soap; soap residues are very difficult to completely rinse off and most soaps are not meant to be consumed.
Important Note: Be aware that bacteria are sticky, so even thorough washing may not remove all contamination. In order to kill the bacteria, you need to cook the product.
2. Wash and scrub produce that has a rind, too, such as cantaloupe and pineapple. Why? Pathogens on the outside of the rind can contaminate the inside when you cut it.
Also, rinse the peel of a banana, which may contain bacteria on the surface that can easily be transferred to you hands.
3. Make sure the produce isn't brownish, slimy, dried-out, or damaged. Toss out produce if the skin is broken. Organisms may have crawled into the pulp, and you won't be able to wash them out.
4. When washing lettuce and other leafy vegetables, discard the outer leaves. Separate the inner leaves and wash thoroughly. As an extra measure of caution, Holtzman recommends that you also wash pre-washed bagged produce just before you use it.
5. Raw alfalfa sprouts, clover sprouts and radish sprouts have all been associated with salmonella and E. coli. Cook sprouts thoroughly to kill off the bacteria.
6. Buy pasteurized fruit juices and cider. Pasteurization kills bacteria. If you are unsure whether the product is pasteurized, bring it to a boil for a minute before cooling and drinking.
7. When cleaning mushrooms, use a mushroom brush. After washing the mushrooms, lay them on a paper towel and pat dry.
8. Purchase two cutting boards. One for cutting produce and other ready-to-eat foods and one for raw meat, poultry and fish. If the boards can be cleaned in the dishwasher, so much the better.
9. Once fruits and vegetables are cut, limit their time at room temperature. If perishable food is left at room temperature for more than two hours, bacteria can grow to harmful levels.
If buying fresh-cut, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, be sure they are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.
10. Keep up-to-date on product recalls and safety alerts. Visit www.recalls.gov
Important Note: The U.S. Food and Drug administration is advising everyone that purchased cantaloupe to make sure it didn't originate from Agropecuaria Montelibano. The Honduran grower and packer was named Saturday in an FDA import alert as the possible link to a Salmonella Litchfield outbreak in the U.S. and Canada.
Lastly, remember before and after handling produce to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least twenty seconds.
Debra Holtzman has a master's degree in Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) and is an attorney. She been appeared on major TV news and radio shows around the world and was chosen a Reader's Digest Everyday Hero. "The Safe Baby: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Home Safety" (Sentient Publications) offers parents economical, easy-to-implement solutions to provide a safe, healthy, and green living lifestyle for children, dogs and cats.
Interviews may be arranged via: E-mail: safebook@aol.com http://thesafetyexpert.com
