September is National Food Safety Awareness Month

-presented by our Registered Dietitian Molly Gilmore, M.S.Ed., RD, LD

According to the Food and Drug Administration, one in six Americans get sick every year from eating contaminated (bacteria, viruses, or parasites) food. The most common symptoms of foodborne illness include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain/cramping, headache, fever, and chills. Since these symptoms are often attributed to gastroenteritis (a.k.a. the stomach flu), most people don’t even know that their illness could be caused by food they ate.

While most healthy people recover from foodborne illnesses, some populations are at higher risk: preschool age children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals. In order to keep everyone safe, follow these tips when preparing, eating, and storing your food:

Wash your hands often, but especially before working with food and before eating.
Separate raw and cooked products. Store cooked and ready to eat products above raw products in your refrigerator.
Cook foods to the correct temperature (see below). Buy a food thermometer and use it!

Food Item	Minimum Internal Temperature
All Poultry, Leftovers	165° F
All Ground Meats, Eggs	160° F
Steaks, Chops, Roasts, Fish, Shellfish	145° F
Plant-Based Foods (veggies, rice, pasta)	135° F

Promptly refrigerate leftovers to slow the growth of bacteria.
When in doubt, throw it out! You can’t see, smell or taste bacteria, so a good rule of thumb is to use leftovers within 3-4 days.

Symptoms of foodborne illness can occur quickly, but most take days to weeks to appear. If you think that you or a member of your family has a foodborne illness, contact your healthcare provider.

Our registered dietitian, Molly Gilmore, provides all areas of nutrition education over the life-span.