Ways Food Can be Made Truly Safe

When you go out to dinner with the family, or even purchase groceries in the store, you can often wonder if the food is truly safe. With so many recalls and negative stories about the food we eat, floating around on the internet and television each day, it can be very concerning just to feed the family. According to the FDA, there are specific guidelines everyone that handles food should follow. Most facilities follow these guidelines, but on the consumer side of things, here are some things you can do to ensure food you purchase is as safe as possible.

Separate Appropriately

While shopping in a store you might not think about separating your items and instead, simply place everything in your shopping cart. However, even at this stage, contamination can happen. On most shopping carts, there is a bottom rack that most people use for larger items. However, this area is also great for storing raw meat items while shopping. Raw meat should always be placed on the bottom rack of both the shopping cart and your refrigerator at home. Dry goods and frozen foods can be separated out in the main area of the cart and fresh produce placed at the very top. This will ensure no cross contamination happens while shopping and bagging items.

Preparing for Cooking

Before cooking fresh produce and meats, wash them thoroughly. Take time to scrub fresh produce and clean out all nooks and crannies of the product. When it comes time to chop fresh produce and raw meat, ensure it is done on separate surfaces. Purchase multi-colored cutting boards for various food types. Red for meat, green or blue for fresh produce, and yellow or orange for dairy products will help ensure that cross contamination does not negatively impact your meal.

Actual Cooking

Cooking does not have to be complicated, but there is a method that should always be followed. Fresh produce does not have to be cooked to a specific temperature to be safe, but meats do. Ensure that you follow recommended guidelines for meat temperatures. The use of a meat thermometer is recommended when you are learning to cook and for larger meat products. For those who are concerned about cooking times and temperatures, remember, the thinner the meat, the more surface area it has, and the easier it is to cook and get to the correct temperature. Consider slicing larger cuts of meat into thinner portions for ease of cooking.

Gentle Processing™

Even with the safest food practices employed, microorganisms and bacteria can find its way onto or into food at any point during the process of getting food to your table. Potential is always there for a possible infection. However, Gentle Processing™ is working to change all of that by providing a safe, effective way to rid produce, meats, and all types of foods of any bacteria or microorganisms living on or in the product. With Gentle Processing™ you can rest assured your food is safe for consumption without compromising the integrity of the product. How is your food being processed?