Test your food safety I.Q.

Indicate whether the following are True or False

1. Symptoms of food poisoning usually start within 24 hours of eating contaminated food.
2. Unpasteurized fruit juice can cause e. coli and salmonella poisoning.
3. Contaminated food usually looks, smells or tastes spoiled.
4. Hot leftover food should be cooled at room temperature before putting it away in the refrigerator.
5. Honey is a nutritious natural food for infants.
6. A cutting board should be thoroughly washed in hot soapy water after preparing raw meat or poultry.
7. Fruits and vegetables can carry dangerous bacteria.
8. Eggs can be safely stored in the shelf on the refrigerator door.
9. It is fine to keep colored hard boiled Easter eggs at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
10. The best way to defrost meat is slowly at room temperature.
11. Ground beef kept in the freezer for 6 months is still safe to eat.
12. The only sure way to know whether meat is safely cooked is with a thermometer.
13. Most food poisoning results from eating at a fast food restaurant.
14. Food poisoning is actually not very common in the United States.
15. Many cases of food poisoning can be prevented by careful handwashing and other hygienic measures.
16. Desserts made with raw eggs are safe if completely frozen before serving.

How did you do?

Here are the answers.

1. False - Most cases of food poisoning don't cause symptoms until more than 24 hours after eating the contaminated food.
2. True - Unpasteurized juice should be avoided, especially by young children, the elderly, and anyone with a suppressed immune system.
3. False - There are two kinds of bacteria that can grow in food, those that cause illness and those that cause food to deteriorate and develop unpleasant odors. The bacteria that cause food poisoning don't necessarily cause food spoilage, so can not be detected by the appearance or smell of the food. Bacteria that cause spoilage often don't cause illness but do affect the flavor and quality of the food.
4. False - Hot leftover food should be put into small shallow containers and promptly refrigerated to cool it quickly. The food can be left uncovered until cooled but should then be covered to prevent the food from taking on the flavors of other foods in the refrigerator.
5. False - Honey should never be fed to infants less than 12 months of age. Botulinus spores may be present in honey and can multiply in an infant's gastrointestinal tracts, forming the toxin which causes botulism. This is a serious and often fatal illness. The digestive tracts of older children and adults are resistant to the bacteria. This applies to corn syrup also. It can contain Botulinus spores and should never be fed to infants younger than one year of age.
6. True - Raw meat and poultry may contain bacteria that could be spread to other foods placed on a contaminated cutting board. Plastic or glass cutting boards are easiest to keep clean. They can be sanitized by placing them in the dishwasher, washing them with hot soapy water or cleaning with a mixture of 1 tsp chlorine bleach to 1 quart of water. Don't forget to sanitize the cleaning cloth or sponge used to wipe up juices from raw meat before reusing it. Sponges can be put in the dishwasher, cloths should be laundered. Paper towels could be used and thrown away.
7. True - While most food poisoning is caused by raw or undercooked animal products, any raw agricultural product can be contaminated with harmful bacteria. Food borne illness has been traced to cantaloupe, tomatoes, strawberries, scallions, alfalfa sprouts and leaf lettuce. Fresh produce should always be washed in clear running water before eating it. Melons and other thick-skinned produce should be washed before cutting into them.
8. False - Eggs should be stored on a refrigerator shelf in the carton they come in. Many refrigerator door egg trays do not stay cold enough to be safe for egg storage. Also the carton helps to protect eggs from picking up flavors from other food.
9. False - Like other perishable foods, hard cooked eggs should not be kept at room temperature for more than two hours. Most harmful bacteria grow best at temperatures of 40 to 140°F.
10. False - Frozen foods should be thawed in the refrigerator, or microwaved and then immediately cooked. Thawing at room temperature allows the outside of the food to reach dangerous temperatures even though the center of the food may remain frozen.
11. True - Foods kept frozen at 0°F or less are safe indefinitely. The flavor and quality will eventually suffer and the food may get freezer burn so it is less appealing, but nevertheless safe.
12. True - The appearance of meat, for example whether it is still pink, is not a reliable guide to its temperature and safety. When cooking ground meat for casseroles, spaghetti sauce, etc. the best guide to safety is when the consistency is that of cooked meat as opposed to uncooked. This is more reliable than the color.
13. False - Most food borne illness in this country occurs in private homes.
14. False - Each year millions of Americans are made ill by foodborne infections. Only a minority of these seek medical care. Many cases of food poisoning are wrongly assumed to be viral gastroenteritis. There are however thousands of severe cases, some even resulting in death.
15. True - Many cases of food poisoning can be prevented by careful techniques of food handling, preparation and storage.
16. False - Freezing does not kill the salmonella bacteria so this is a risky practice. Try substituting pasteurized egg products in the recipe.

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Your Food Safety I.Q.

How did you score? Give yourself 2 points for each correct answer.

24-32 Above Average - You are probably doing everything you can to prevent food borne illness in your family.

14-24 Average - You may be taking some chances that could result in unpleasant consequences

0-14 Below Average - You need to learn more about food safety and good food handling practices

"If in doubt - throw it out!"

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