Don't
Let Unsafe Food Spoil Your Tailgating Party
Experts Suggest
Rules To Follow
Autumn brings
football and with this sporting event, be it an NFL team or
your favorite college team, comes the traditional tailgating
party before the big game.
Experts on
food safety suggest that you do not let food poisoning sideline
your tailgating party.
Food-borne
illnesses affect millions of Americans each year. Many persons
who think they have the flu or a virus are really victims of
mild cases of food poisoning, caused by bacteria and viruses
found in food.
Particularly
vulnerable to these infections are young children, the elderly,
pregnant women (because of the risk to the fetus), and persons
with chronic or serious illnesses, whose immune systems are
already weakened.
Because feasting before
the football game can mean perishable food has to stand in warm
temperatures for hours, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
offers these tips to make sure the party stays near the stadium,
not the emergency room:
-
Keep raw and cooked
foods separate at all times. Cross-contamination is one
of the main causes of food-borne illnesses. Try using color-coded
plates and utensils so you'll know which is which.
-
Bring lots of
extra utensils for eating and preparing. Using a new utensil
is easier than trying to clean on the spot.
-
Make sure raw
meat and poultry are wrapped separately from cooked foods
while in the cooler.
-
Wash your hands
before and after preparing food.
-
Bring your own
soap, water, and disposable wipes should a water source
be unavailable.
-
Use an ice scoop
to handle ice. The last thing you want is lots of unwashed
hands touching ice that's going to go in somebody's drink.
-
Keep hot food
hot and cold food cold. Bacteria multiply best between 40
degrees and 140 degrees.
-
Do not leave food
out of the cooler or off the grill for more than two hours
(one hour if the temperature is over 90).
-
Always put perishable
food in a cooler with ice or ice packs. Move it directly
from the fridge or freezer to the cooler.
-
Make sure the
cooler is well-insulated and keep the temperature below
40 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Pack meat
and poultry while it's still frozen.
Fully loaded coolers stay colder longer. If you don't have
enough food to fill it up, add ice or fruit or even something
like a jar of peanut butter.
-
Keep drinks in
a separate cooler. This way, people won't be opening and
closing the one with the meat inside.
-
Transport the
cooler in the air-conditioned part of the car.
-
Make sure
foods are cooked thoroughly, and use a meat thermometer
to make sure.
Always consult
your physician for more information.
Symptoms
of Food Poisoning
Most cases
of food poisoning mimic gastroenteritis, and many people with
mild cases of food poisoning think they have the "stomach flu."
However, the
onset of symptoms is usually very sudden and abrupt, often within
hours of eating the contaminated food.
Symptoms may include:
The symptoms
of food poisoning may resemble other medical conditions or problems.
Mild cases
of food poisoning are often treated as gastroenteritis, with
fluid replacement and control of nausea and vomiting being the
primary focus. However, in serious cases of food poisoning,
hospitalization may be necessary.
Always consult
your physician for more information.
|
November 2003
Don't
Let Unsafe Food Spoil Your Tailgating Party
Symptoms
of Food Poisoning
Causes
of Food Poisoning
Online
Resources
Causes
of Food Poisoning
Most food-borne illnesses
are caused by eating food containing certain types of bacteria
or viruses.
After a person has
eaten these foods, the microorganisms continue to grow, causing
an infection. Foods can also cause illness if they contain a
toxin or poison produced by bacteria growing in food.
Several different
kinds of bacteria can cause food poisoning. Some of the common
bacteria include the following:
-
Salmonella and Campylobacter
- normally found in warm-blooded animals such as cattle,
poultry, and swine and may be present in raw meat, poultry,
eggs, or unpasteurized dairy products.
-
Clostridium perfringens -
may be present in raw meat, poultry, eggs, or unpasteurized
dairy products, as well as in vegetables and crops that
come into contact with soil. Infection may occur when
soups, stew, and gravies made with meat, fish, or poultry
are stored improperly or left unrefrigerated for several
hours.
-
Listeria - mainly associated
with raw foods of animal origins.
-
Staphylococci - occur normally
on human skin and in the nose and throat. These bacteria
are transmitted to food when handled.
- Escherichia coli (E. coli)
- found in the intestines of healthy cattle. An infection
is caused by eating undercooked beef (especially ground
beef) or unpasteurized milk.
Hepatitis A and
other viral diseases may be passed through the hands of infected
persons onto the hands of food handlers or into sewage. Shellfish
and other foods which may have been exposed to sewage-contaminated
water can transmit these viral diseases.
Botulism is a rare
but deadly form of food poisoning caused by Clostridium botulinum,
which is found almost everywhere, including in soil and water.
Low acid foods, such as meat, fish, poultry, or vegetables,
that are improperly canned may be breeding grounds for this
bacteria.
Always consult your
physician for more information
Online
Resources
(Our Organization
is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Healthfinder,
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
US
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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