Food Safety
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We don’t live in a sterile world. As soon as they are able, your baby will start putting anything that they can reach into their mouths. You can’t even begin to imagine the phone calls I have gotten about icky things that some of my past little patients have managed to get their hands and mouths on. Chap-stick, particles from an exploded hot pack, kitty litter, the little packet in shoe boxes that says do not eat. You name it, they lick it.
My grandson Coby has continued to add things to that list.
So yes, the world is full of germs, and while I don’t generally get too concerned about a little dirt here or a big sloppy dog kiss there, food-borne bacteria can be nasty, and we need to minimize any exposure.
The CDC reports that every year 1 in 6 people get sick from something they ate or drank. Were you one of them? It’s NO fun.
The upcoming holiday season is what prompted me to update this post, but food contamination issues can happen all year round.
Consider the recent situation for infant formula being contaminated with Botulism. If your baby has had any ByHeart formula, and you have been too tired to pay attention to the headlines, make sure you stop using it immediately. If you do happen to have any of that on hand and it’s open, don’t throw it away. The CDC recommends keeping opened formula stored away for a month in case your baby develops symptoms so that it may be tested. Unopened formula can be discarded or sent for a refund.
Keeping your kids and family safe feels a bit like a minefield, doesn’t it?
Here are some general guidelines.
Wash hands for at least 20 seconds before food preparation. Soap is best. Hand sanitizer will do (let it dry thoroughly or that taste might wind up in your food). Re-wash hands as needed after handling food that might carry germs.
Dr. Ted’s Tidbit
When it comes to food poisoning in this country, most people fear poultry, meat, and eggs more than produce like fruits and vegetables. As a matter of fact, produce is responsible for just about as much of food-borne illness as poultry and meat, causing almost half of all disease. Food poisoning from poultry and meat may be only slightly more common, but when it happens, it’s much more severe, leading to more hospitalizations or deaths; this is because of the germs that live on those surfaces. Produce carries more Norovirus and E. coli (bad but not lethal), while poultry and meat are more frequently linked to Salmonella and Campylobacter.
Make sure kitchen towels and sponges are changed and cleaned frequently. Sponges can go through the dishwasher. Cloth can get easily contaminated and then spread germs. Don’t ignore potholders or other cloth items that come into contact with raw food.
Wash your reusable grocery bags especially after they are used for milk or chicken.
Keep your refrigerator temperature at 40 degrees or colder. This is essential for keeping the bacteria from multiplying. An appliance thermometer can help you keep track.
Your freezer should be below 0 degrees. To ensure the safety of your frozen food, you need to be sure that it has been actually kept constantly frozen.
One clever hack to make sure that there hasn’t been a thaw is to keep a small baggie filled with ice cubes in the freezer. If the ice remains in cubes, you are in good shape; if they melt and refreeze as a block of ice that means that at some point your freezer was not cold enough. This can happen in a power outage or even if the door wasn’t kept tightly closed. I am sad to say that if there was stored breast milk in there that has thawed and refrozen, I would no longer consider it safe.
Label things in your freezer and rotate so that you are using up older stuff first.
Make sure that foods are properly cooked. A food thermometer is the best tool for this.
Cook beef, pork, veal, and lamb (steaks, roasts and chops) to 145°F and allow to rest for 3 minutes. Hamburgers made of ground beef, pork, veal, and lamb should reach 160°F. All poultry (including ground) should reach a minimum of 165 °F. NEVER partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later.
Eggs should not be runny. (In Japan you don’t need to worry about it!)
For all of you “older kids” who will be baking this holiday season, watch out for the batter. Even one lick from raw food containing a contaminated egg can get you ill.
Special considerations for babies:
Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to food-borne illness because their immune systems are not developed enough to fight off infections. This is especially critical for infants under 6 months of age. Extra care should be taken when handling and preparing their food and formula.
If you are using any baby food from jars (no need to apologize), check the expiration dates and make sure the lid pops when you open them.
Remember that once saliva has come into contact with the food it is no longer sterile and some bacteria can grow quickly. To avoid waste, consider putting a small amount in a bowl, adding more as needed using a clean spoon.
Don’t leave open containers of liquid or pureed baby food out at room temperature for more than two hours. Bacteria thrive in temperatures between 40-140 degrees
Don’t store opened baby food in the refrigerator for more than three days. If you are not sure that the food is still safe, remember this saying: “If in doubt, throw it out.” See links below for guidelines on how long food stays safe.
Powdered formula is NOT sterile. Don’t mix up more than you need in advance. If the infant is less than 3 months, I would mix it with boiling water and let it cool.
Below are some common misconceptions:
Myth: Freezing food kills harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
Fact: bacteria can survive freezing temperatures. When food is thawed, bacteria can still be present and can begin to multiply. Cooking food to the proper internal temperature is the best way to make sure any bacteria is killed.
Myth: vegetarians don’t need to worry about food poisoning.
Fact: Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, but like other foods they may carry a risk of foodborne illness. Always rinse produce well under running tap water. Never eat the pre-washed ‘ready to eat’ greens if they are past their freshness date or if they appear slimy.
Myth: Plastic or glass cutting boards don’t hold harmful bacteria on their surfaces like wooden cutting boards do.
Fact: Any type of cutting board can hold harmful bacteria on its surface. Regardless of the type of cutting board you use, it should be washed and sanitized after each use. Solid plastic, tempered glass, sealed granite, and hardwood cutting boards are dishwasher safe. However, wood laminates don’t hold up well in the dishwasher. Once cutting boards of any type become excessively worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves, they should be discarded.
Myth: Locally-grown, organic foods will never give you food poisoning.
Fact: Any food, whether organic or conventional, could become unsafe with illness-causing bacteria at any point during the chain from the farm to the table. Consumers in their homes can take action to keep their families safe. That is why it is important to reduce your risk of food-borne illness by practicing the four steps: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
Full disclosure, and the irony is not lost on me; this evening while I was working on this post I took a break to make myself some dinner. I was trying out a new recipe that called for white beans.
I pulled out a can from the back of a shelf and brought it in to show Sandy
“This can expired in 2021, it looks fine, do you think it’s safe.
He laughed and said no.
I poked back into the cabinet and found one more can, The expiration date was no where to be seen.
I used the beans. They looked fine. They smelled okay. I think they were safe. If I don’t check back in for awhile, you can suspect the beans.
On top of the other suggestions in the post, this is a good reminder to go through your pantry and fridge to get rid of anything suspect. If something is more than a year old, probably toss it.
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Here are some excellent resources for food safety:
www.foodsafety.gov This site keeps track of any food recalls
www.Stilltasty.com This is as great site for seeing how long food will last. I used it just this week to figure out if an open can of chickpeas was still good. (After a week, the answer was no)
www.fightbac.org This site has loads of kid friendly activities
And Finally, here are some of my personal Thanksgiving musings
Holidays can be triggering.
Social media illuminates festive gatherings of friends and family enjoying their turkey dinner..that is lovely for the lucky few.
The truth is:
Some people don’t have a group to join. Kids grow up and move away.
Some people are expected and welcome to the family/friend dinner, but find it overwhelmingly stressful.
Some yearn to be with their loved ones, but can’t easily manage the trip for one reason or another. The fact is that traveling for the holidays is way more expensive, hectic and crowded.
And some people just hate turkey
Things to consider:
Thanksgiving is a made up holiday. I know plenty of families who choose a different date to celebrate.
We all should take some time to pay attention to things we are grateful for every day, not just the last Thursday in November.
Families can be tricky, especially with the divisive politics these days. Make an agreement in advance that some topics of not welcome to the table
Are you lucky enough to have a gathering? Is there room at the table? Pay attention to the couples or single people who may not have a place to go and invite them.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday
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