Every
year there are an estimated 11 to 13 million cases of food-borne illness (also
known as food poisoning) in Canada.
Though many people believe they can only contract food-borne illness from eating
in restaurants, the truth is that many cases actually occur from food prepared
at home. That’s why it’s so important to
follow the correct food preparation methods of clean, separate, cook and chill
to prevent your family from getting sick.
The first step to preventing food-borne illness in your home is to properly clean
your hands, kitchen and food before and after preparing each meal says senior
public health inspector Christina Wieder.
“When you walk into the kitchen the first thing you should be doing is washing
your hands,” the health inspector says. Starting with warm running water, you
should work up a good lather, scrubbing both the front and back of the hands as
well as between the fingers for a good 15 to 20 seconds.
Wieder explains that it’s the friction that removes bacteria and germs that
have been picked up throughout the day from the hands, and advises that you
should take off any jewellery when you’re washing your hands because bacteria
can grow around it.
Once you’ve finished washing and rinsing your hands, you should use a paper
towel to dry off and turn off the tap.
After your hands are clean, Wieder says you need to clean not only your
countertops, but your entire food preparation area, which includes your stove,
cutting boards, dishes, utensils and sink.
Using hot soapy water, you can clean all the surfaces that will be used in the
food preparation and this process should be repeated after you’ve completed
your meal as well. Wieder says this is important “because we do a lot of things
in our kitchen: we bring in groceries, we place them on our countertops.” So
although we can’t see the dirt and bacteria, we know it’s there.
And just like our hands and kitchen surfaces, our fruits and vegetables should
be cleaned as well. Dimpled fruits like oranges and cantaloupes should be
scrubbed with a vegetable or fruit brush to get rid of any dirt. That brush
should also be washed, either in the dishwasher if safe, or using the hot soap
and water method.
Grapes and other fruits and vegetables with a smooth surface also need to be
cleaned. Though scrubbing with a brush isn’t necessary, Wieder says you still
need to create some friction to get rid of any bacteria.
For more information on four steps to food safety visit
www.York.ca/foodsafety.
