by Megan Frederick
Foodborne illness, more commonly referred to as food poisoning, is both dangerous and uncomfortable. Mild cases of food poisoning may cause upset stomach or nausea, while more serious cases can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. Most symptoms begin to occur within hours or days of eating that week-old chicken sandwich or raw cookie dough. Thankfully, symptoms usually stop within a couple days. But what caused the symptoms in the first place? Most serious cases of food poisoning are not actually caused by the food itself, but by tiny organisms growing on the food: bacteria.
Just like humans, bacteria need nutrients to grow and survive. Many types of bacteria play very important roles in keeping us healthy. For example, some bacteria that live in your gut even help you digest different types of fiber. Unfortunately, sometimes harmful bacteria will find their way into your food, which is called bacterial contamination. Once there, they increase in number and produce harmful chemicals known as toxins. Bacteria and their toxins become dangerous to us when they’re accidentally ingested along with food. Some foods are more prone to contamination, either because of where they come from or the process used to get them from the farm to the grocery store. This process is known as the food production chain. While the food production chain may be out of our control, there are things we can do to prevent food poisoning when we bring the food home.
The CDC recommends four steps to prevent food poisoning:
- Clean. Keep your hands and utensils clean by washing thoroughly with soap and warm water. Fruits and vegetables should also be washed, especially if you plan on eating them without cooking them.
- Separate. Raw, uncooked foods such as chicken, beef, and pork are likely to contain bacteria. Keep these foods separated from other foods to prevent bacterial contamination between foods.
- Cook. A key way to make sure food is safe to eat is to cook it to a safe temperature. Safe temperatures will vary depending on the food, but most bacteria are killed if a sufficiently high temperature is used.
- Chill. Bacteria are able to grow and replicate very quickly at room temperature. To slow down bacterial growth, refrigerate or freeze food. Only store leftover food for the recommended period of time.
While the majority of bacteria aren’t actually harmful (not all bacteria are bad!), sometimes particularly dangerous types of bacteria will contaminate food. If this happens, suppliers may announce a food recall if a spike in illnesses, or an outbreak, is linked to a type or source of food. When this happens, it’s best to throw away the contaminated food because the safety measures outlined above may not be enough to prevent food poisoning.
Bacteria are found all around us, on our skin, and even inside of us. But this shouldn’t cause you to worry! The main thing to remember is that harmful bacteria can grow on food, travel into your body, and make you sick when you eat that contaminated food. The best way to protect you and your family from food poisoning is to observe safe food handling practices and remember to Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill!
