The deadly E. coli outbreak from bagged spinach elevated everyone’s concern about the safety of our food supply. Critics are calling for tighter government oversight of the food industry and new procedures–from the farm to the processing plant–to reduce contamination risk.
In the meantime, the best defense against foodborne illness is in your hands.
Taking risky shortcuts in the kitchen–such as forgetting to wash your hands before cooking–can increase the likelihood that you’ll get sick. You are most vulnerable when you create the ideal environment for harmful bacteria to grow and flourish, which has a lot to do with time and temperature.
Even low levels of bacteria can multiply and cause illness if given the opportunity: Bacteria double every couple of hours at room temperature.
The E. coli outbreak linked to spinach was particularly troubling because most people do not suspect fresh vegetables will make them sick. Perhaps you find yourself more casual in your handling of fruits and vegetables compared to raw meats.
“I think this outbreak has been a wake-up call for consumers,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. “People didn’t realize before that produce can carry the same bacteria that we watch out for in our meat and poultry.”
Though spinach and other fresh vegetables are not inherently dangerous–we need to be eating more, not less–produce is now the leading culprit in foodborne illness, according to data collected by the CSPI. Experts suggest you treat all produce as if it could be contaminated.
Safer fresh produce
Here are some steps you can take to help keep you and your family safe:
– Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after any food preparation. Use a paper towel to dry off your clean hands.
– Use a steady stream of cool running water to thoroughly rinse produce–even bagged vegetables and salad mixes that say “triple washed” and “ready-to-use” on the label.
– Check the source of any fresh spinach or bagged salad mixes that contain spinach before you buy it. Spinach grown in the three California counties implicated in the outbreak (Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara) should still be avoided. Fresh spinach from other areas or frozen and canned spinach can be consumed, according to the latest advisory from the FDA.
– For whole heads of lettuce or cabbage, remove outer leaves and any bruised or damaged parts prior to washing. Use a brush to scrub carrots, cucumbers or other firm produce to remove dirt that can harbor bacteria.
– Take extra caution with fresh fruits and vegetables that are cut up. Just as ground beef is potentially riskier than whole steaks, precut produce may pose a greater risk because bacteria can more easily spread on the exposed surfaces.
– Watch out for cross contamination, or when bacteria is transferred from food to food. That’s not just a problem when raw meats contaminate other foods through dirty cutting boards, utensils or dripping juices. You can do the same thing by grabbing into a bag of tainted spinach and then touching tomatoes, onions or other vegetables when making a salad.
– Dismantle your fruit bowl on the kitchen counter and stash all fruits except bananas in your refrigerator. Be sure to wash each one before you eat them–even oranges, melons and other fruits that you intend to peel. Otherwise, bacteria can enter the fruit when you cut into it.
– Throw out leftover cut or peeled produce if left at room temperature for more than two hours.
– Buy only pasteurized juices and keep chilled in the fridge. Recent cases of botulism were linked to unrefrigerated carrot juice.
– Use separate cutting boards and utensils for meats and produce; thoroughly clean with hot water and soap after each use and dry with paper towels.
Keeping meat safe
– Freeze fresh meat, poultry and fish immediately if you do not plan to use within a few days. Freeze in an airtight container or wrap in aluminum foil.
– Never use the same unwashed plate that held raw meat to serve cooked meat. Be careful about tongs, knives or other utensils that touched the meat when it was raw.
– To make sure meats get hot enough to kill harmful bacteria, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Since bacteria can spread during the processing of ground beef, cook hamburger patties and meatloaves to at least 160 degrees; roasts and steaks can be lower at 145 degrees. Poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees.
– Thaw frozen meats in the refrigerator or in cold water–never on the kitchen counter. If you thaw meats in the microwave, finish the cooking process immediately.
– Avoid using very low oven temperature roasting methods (below 325 degrees) and long or overnight cooking of meats. This may encourage bacterial growth before cooking is complete.
– Do not interrupt the cooking process by partially roasting or grilling meats then finishing later. Partially cooked meat may not reach a temperature sufficient to destroy bacteria and may even encourage bacterial growth.
– Do not leave cooked meat or other perishable foods out at room temperature for longer than two hours.
– Keep your refrigerator set at 40 degrees or below. Use a fridge thermometer to check.
– Resist the urge to taste leftover food that looks or smells strange. If in doubt, throw it out.
For more information on food safety, including updates on spinach and E.coli, visit www.foodsafety.gov.
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Helm is a dietitian and nutrition consultant.
