7-29-08

Foodborne Illness

Summer is the time for outdoor picnics and barbeques, but unless precautions are taken, a dietitian at SIU School of Medicine says foodborne illness can occur.

Foodborne infections increase in the summer months because of the warmer temperatures and more people are cooking and eating outside where food can spoil faster.  Eating contaminated food may cause symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.  Sybil Cox, registered dietitian at SIU medical school in Springfield, offers some tips to keep food safe.

SOUND BITE:  “You want to keep your area clean.  You want to clean your hands.  You want to wash surfaces and any utensils.  You want to separate things and not cross-contaminate.  So you want to keep raw food away from cooked food.  And you want to keep fruits and vegetables and salads away from meats and things like that.”

To help prevent food from spoiling, she recommends putting food that needs to be chilled in a cooler with ice and keeping it in the cooler until time to cook or serve it.  She says people need to be aware of the length of time the food is sitting out in hot weather.  Also, Cox says foods need to be cooked to the proper temperatures.

SOUND BITE: “Beef and pork should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  Poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees.  And if you’re reheating anything, it should be cooked to 165 degrees.  And the biggest thing is you need to take a thermometer with you.  It’s very important to take one with you if you’re going to be cooking at a place where you’re not at home and you don’t have access to a thermometer.”

Cox says children, the elderly, pregnant women and individuals with a weakened immune system are at most risk of getting a foodborne illness.  If someone does get sick from food, they should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and see their personal physician as soon as possible.

(This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.)