Food safety will prevent you from getting ill on the 4th of July.
Officials are taking active measures these days to inform people about food safety on the 4th of July. Based on the statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, 48 million citizens, or 1 in 6 Americans, will develop a food-borne illness this year, which might result in 3,000 deaths and 128,000 hospitalizations.
Health officials also underline that food poisoning is a threat that may last for the whole summer period, so people need to be aware of what they eat. A healthy diet combined with physical exercises will improve the life quality of every individual.
Around 70 percent of the source of any disease comes from unhealthy foods. In others words, what we eat determines how healthy we are in most cases. This also applies on special occasions, such as the 4th of July, when people tend to eat too much.
Food excess is never a good idea, and most people tend to ignore the real risks of food poisoning. According to Al Almanza, Deputy Under-Secretary for Food Safety, warm temperatures are the ideal environment for food-borne bacteria.
That is why summer is the most dangerous period for people who are oblivious of what they eat and how they eat. Plus, people spend more time outside where there are fewer hygiene sources.
It is hard to keep the food clean or preserve it if you are not in your kitchen. Almanza underlined that the most critical temperatures range from 40 t0 140 degrees.
In these temperatures, the bacteria from food multiply at a very fast rate. People usually leave their food out for too long, and that is why it becomes full with bacteria.
According to USDA food safety specialists, perishables can be left out for maximum two hours if the temperatures are below 90 degrees and only one hour if the temperatures increase above this limit.
Also, food should be separated into several pieces before putting it in the cooler. This way, the smaller parts will cool faster and preserve better. The same thing applies for leftovers, which should be packed and put as soon as possible in the cooler to make sure that they will be refrigerated fast.
A cooler thermometer will help people ensure that food is kept at 40 degrees. Experts underline that drinks should be put in a separate cooler, to avoid opening the food cooler too often and maintain food safety.
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