September is Food Safety Education Month

GREEN BAY, WI – (WGBW & WISS) – September is Food Safety Education Month. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there are 48 million cases of foodborne illness or food poisoning each year. That works out to be 1 in every 6 Americans getting sick from something they’ve eaten. 

Pat Haney, a Food Safety Consultant in Green Bay, works with area restaurants, facilities, and institutions to practice safe food handling through his business 6P Solutions. 

“If the conditions are right…they produce even faster organisms depending on their environment,” said Haney.

Haney said the six conditions that speed up and foster the growth of foodborne pathogens are Food, Acidity, Time, Temperature, Oxygen, and Moisture, known as FAT TOM. He added that foodborne pathogens can be found in restaurants, any business or facility that serves food at any time, and in personal homes. 

“You run a risk in any operation, depending on the process,” Haney said. 

Protect yourself with Food Safety tips

The FDA says protecting yourself from foodborne illnesses is easy enough if you remember a few simple steps. 

1. Wash hands and surfaces often
2. Separate raw meats from other foods
3. Cook to the proper temperature
4. Refrigerate foods promptly after cooking. 

Haney believes hand washing is the most important and effective of those tips. 

“The most important thing in the home and outside the home would be handwashing,” said Haney. “Because that is the easiest way and the most effective way to prevent a foodborne illness. And it doesn’t cost anything.”

Cross-contamination is also a concern for food safety. Haney said never use the same cutting board for vegetables after cutting meats such as chicken. 

“The rule of thumb is to have a designated cutting board, like a yellow one for poultry, or a green one for produce,” said Haney.

The FDA also says to make sure to cook foods to the safe minimum internal temperatures as measured with a food thermometer. They then advise people to properly chill any leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking or purchasing – within one hour if the temperature outside is over 90° F.