Practicing Food Safety

With over 76 million reported cases each year, most everyone has a story of a bout of “food poisoning”, or food borne illness. Most cases are mild, however, it is estimated that 5,000 deaths can be traced to food borne illness annually. Ensuring the safety of our food supply is a complex endeavor led by government entities. Continued advocacy for stronger food safety regulation is needed to improve practices, making these tragedies a thing of the past.

While everyone is at risk for food borne illness, the very young, very old and those with compromised immune systems are at greater risk. Thorough food safety practices during food purchasing, storage and preparation at home are an effective way to reduce this risk. Our team of registered dietitians guides each of our seriously ill clients and/or their caregivers in how to safely store, defrost and reheat our meals. Additionally, we routinely update our clients and the community on a variety of food safety issues.

Here are two food safety tips for a healthy spring:

• Invest in thermometers for your refrigerator and freezer. The fridge temperature should be at 40°F or below and the freezer, 0°F.
• Clean out your pantry and discard outdated items.