With people getting ready to host holiday parties soon, the Berrien County Health Department is reminding everyone of the importance of keeping food safe.
Department environmental health supervisor Brian Murphy tells us if you’re serving food, you’ve got to take precautions against spreading food-borne illnesses. Some people are more at risk than others.
“You have to think about the older population because they’re more susceptible,” Murphy said. “You’ve got to think about grandma and grandpa, even younger kids. Four years and younger, especially. Their immune systems aren’t as developed.”
Murphy says there are 48 million cases of food-borne illness in the U.S. each year, 128,000 of which lead to hospitalizations, and 3,000 of which will be fatal. Whether it’s to prevent E-coli, salmonella, or norovirus — the most common food-borne illness — he has a good rule of thumb to follow.
“When in doubt, throw it out. It’s a saying that most of us are familiar with. That goes a long way. It really does. So if you have any doubts about how that turkey tastes or how the turkey looks or how long that hand’s been sitting out at room temperature, throw it away.”
Murphy says frequent hand washing with soap for at least 20 seconds is key when preparing food. Keep cold food cold and warm food warm until it’s ready to be served, and don’t immediately cool down a hot food by putting in the fridge.
You can find several food safety guidelines right here.
Photo: Berrien County Health Department staff conduct a food safety inspection.
