Top 10 Reasons for Food Poisoning
Kids can catch food poisoning very easily, while adults are not much protected from it. Every mother will wonder how she can protect their kids from f...
Kids can catch food poisoning very easily, while adults are not much protected from it. Every mother will wonder how she can protect their kids from food poisoning and what they can do to keep their family protected from food poisoning. Here are the top 10 reasons which can cause food poisoning in chronological order.
1. Improper cooling
When you store the food in the refrigerator for longer duration, you are in the danger zone. And the risk will increase if the cooling of the refrigerator isn’t set properly. The preferred temperature in the refrigerator is somewhere between 35 and 38 degrees F (1.7 to 3.3 degrees C). If the temperature rise above this limit then it’s likely that food will catch pathogens.
2. Advance preparation of Food
We live busy lives and can’t afford to cook too frequently and its very convenient to cook once and eat it multiple times. That’s not a bad practice at all if you handle and store the food properly. Usually you are at risk if you eat food older than 3 days. And each food will have it’s own expiry time depending upon the handling, preparation method and storage method.
3. Food exposed to Infected person
An infection can be spread by a virus or bacterias, if the cook, chef or worker in the kitchen premises is suffering any of the disease which can be infectious then he can infect the food with those bacterias or virus. Such person should be immediately sent for a medical leave.
4. Inadequate reheating for hot holding
The food must be maintained at 140º F. or above for at least 3 minutes if you are reheating it for hot holding. Each food will have different heating requirements and should be reheated accordingly. Multiple reheating and cooling cycles are not advisable from health point of view.
5. Improper hot holding
Any food should be removed from preheated environment immediately after cooking and should not be kept idle for more than 2 hours. Either it should be consumed or it should be stored in a cool place as per ideal cooling requirements.
6. Contaminated raw food or ingredient
This is the major problem with street food or open restaurant kitchens where the raw food and ingredients are exposed and can be contaminated very easily. Make sure when you go out for eating, the raw food and ingredients are covered properly.
7. Unsafe source
A food product coming from an unsafe source is equally dangerous. An egg or meat of sick animal or rotten vegetables or fruits can harm your health severely even after cooking. So, have a practice of eating at reputed outlets and restaurants only. Also don’t shy away from sneaking into the kitchen of such restaurants of course with the due permission of the manager or supervisor.
8. Use of leftovers
We all have less time to cook, so it’s a lucrative idea of cooking once and eating it for a few days. We also use the leftovers in the next preparation cycle because this makes the cooking easier and don’t waste the food. But by doing this you can expose yourself and your family to food poisoning.
9. Cross-contamination
Cross Contamination is a process when the contaminated food can be spread by using the same utensils, knives or spoons. By this way a healthy and fresh food too can be contaminated and creates the risk of food poisoning.
10. Inadequate cooking
This is less known and least annoying but important fact about food poisoning. Each raw food item will take it’s own time for proper cooking, any time lesser than that can expose the food item on the risk and it can become one reason for food poisoning.
These are the major reason by which food poisoning can be caught, so if you wish to keep your kids and your family protected from food poisoning then keep these points in mind and avoid them in your daily life. Also communicate these facts with your family member. Remember awareness is always better when it comes to health.