Protect Your Family From Food Borne Illness

Safety and sanitation in the kitchen can help prevent many forms of food borne illness. It usually take between 24 and 48 hours for symptoms of food poisoning to develop, but anyone who has experienced this unfortunate condition knows that it can last for what seems like forever. By following guidelines for safety and sanitation in the kitchen you will ensure that you are not a source of cross contamination or an infection vector for food borne illness.

Kitchen hygiene is important for anyone preparing or consuming food. Washing your hands is one of the top food safety guidelines. Hand washing is not only a great way to prevent food borne illness, hand washing can also prevent illnesses like the common cold. Around 22 million school days are missed by children every year when they suffer from the common cold.

Not only should your safety and sanitation in the kitchen plans include hand washing, washing countertops and utensils in important as well. Clean counters and cutting surfaces can limit the possibility of cross contamination between raw meat and ready to eat food. The FDA recommends cleaning kitchen surfaces with commercial sanitizer or home made versions of bleach and water. Following a kitchen sanitation checklist can help you ensure you do not miss steps in a safety and sanitation in the kitchen steps.

Safety and sanitation in the kitchen extends not only from food prep and serving, but can extend to storage of food as well. In the refrigerator it is important to keep meats on the bottom to prevent the possibility of drippings from raw meat contaminating other foods. Food handling safety guidelines also recommend soap and hot water washing of any tool or surface that comes into contact with the raw meat. With basic steps towards safety and sanitation in the kitchen even home cooks can work towards keeping their families safe from food borne illness.