It’s the beginning of summer and we are going to be in full swing of fresher fruits and vegetables, farmers markets and cook-outs! With that being said, I just want to draw some awareness to food borne illness and preventing it! 

There’s a few things to be aware of! So lets get right to it and break down the actual bacteria itself.

• Salmonella – This bacteria affects the lining of your intestines, causing stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and sometimes diarrhea. In some cases, the infection can spread to the bloodstream, triggering even more severe illness. Onset can be as soon as 6 hours and as far out as 6 days post exposure. Most of the time people can be treated with antibiotics, but if someone is also dehydrated, they will most likely need hospitalization.
• E.Coli – There are a couple of different strains of this bacteria that can cause illness. Symptoms will present as watery, sometimes bloody stool, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and low-grade fever. Symptoms can improve in a weeks time, but can also lead to kidney disease. Further symptoms to look for are extreme fatigue, decreased urination and paleness in the cheeks. Symptoms can present 3-5 days after exposure. Staying hydrated is key to treatment. Antibiotics are rarely used for this infection as it can continue to increase risk of kidney disease.
• Listeria – Most people have strong enough immune systems to combat listeria as it grows in a very wide temperature span! It can grow in as low as 0 degrees and up to 42 degrees, with its highest growth occurring at 37 degrees! It can still grow, but at a slower rate, when frozen. It also grows at higher temperatures, but at a slower rate.

If illness does occur, symptoms to watch for include fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle aches that last for a few days. This can also lead to spinal cord and brain damage. Symptoms can occur usually within 2 weeks of exposure.

So what can you do to protect yourself?

• Wash your hands! Period. Wash your hands often. If you are working with eggs, wash your hands before and after touching the egg. Discard eggs where the shell has been damaged. Do not rinse eggs as salmonella can then spread within. And always use pasteurized eggs when baking or do not eat the dough when you do bake. That is virtually impossible for myself! I get it, So be careful!
• When using uncooked flour, just make sure the flour doesn’t touch anything you are making raw. Flour can be contaminated as well if it is grown near livestock. Milling doesn’t kill the bacteria, so do take care when using raw flour.
• Beware of unpasteurized milk, juices and cider. Because these are unpasteurized, the bacteria that may have come from the fruit in which the juice was made from, has not been killed. Always choose pasteurized juices and milk when possible!
• When working with any raw meat, chicken, fish. Use separate cutting boards, either use gloves for food prep or wash hands before, during and after. Be careful not to touch other surfaces or foods after working with these raw meats. And heat them entirely to their appropriate safe serving temperatures! When meat is cooked, keep it cold (at about 40 degrees or colder). Including cooked meat that is already on some salads you may purchase. Just watch that the temperature stays cold until you eat. Bacteria can grow when the temperature climbs and drops again.
• When you are at a cook out, rule of thumb is that as long as the food as remained at its appropriate temperature before getting to the gathering, or cooked at the right temperature at the gathering, you can get about 2 hours of it out before bacteria can begin to grow at a faster rate. So, if possible, after serving, put things that need to be chilled back in a cooler. Guests can always help themselves to more when they need from the cooler.

This article was written with the intention of offering awareness, not fear.  Awareness so you might be more intentional with how you work with foods.  Many people don’t take this seriously until they get sick from a food borne illness. A little awareness can go along way with helping everyone stay healthy and have fun!

Just remember to wash your hands, clean your surfaces and do your best to keep food at its appropriate temperatures!

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