Take steps to prevent foodborne illnesses

Was that sandwich you ate so hungrily "bad?" Is it possible the pre-packaged, "tasted OK" sandwich had invisible cooties? Is it possible your unwashed hands were full of who- knows-what kind of bacteria and that’s making you feel sick? Maybe you’re just getting the flu?

It’s less likely you have a flu virus than a food-related illness. Foodborne illness is increasingly prevalent in this eat on-the-go world and, in some cases, a reaction can occur as quickly as 20 minutes after eating. (Foods like potato and egg salads, meats, fried rice and cream pastries are frequent culprits.)

Most offending bacteria take 24 hours to a few days to produce symptoms (a couple types take several weeks). But bacillus cereus and staphylococcus aureus can show up in one to six hours or less.

Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, discusses food and illness in a recent issue of Tufts University’s Health and Nutrition Letter. He gets my attention when he talks about food, or the hands that eat it, as containing toxins "analogous to ingesting poison."

To avoid that poisoned bloated, sick-to-your stomach, miserable feeling, there are a few basics. The hand washing exercise is key (warm water, soap, lots of friction for 15-20 seconds). But there are other considerations that involve handling food properly — keeping it well refrigerated, cooking it thoroughly.

Advertisement

I feel an obligation to write about foodborne illness at this time of year. If your family is like ours, in the summer you’re more likely to eat casually, maybe not even think about the food in the picnic cooler that’s been there all afternoon, until you see someone grabbing a snack from that cooler. If you’re like us, you’re inclined to play a raucous lawn game and then eat a hot dog and some already-dressed salad without even considering a 15-second hand wash.

This summer is different. When our family gets together we’ll have a bevy of people who are especially vulnerable to food-related illness. We have a pregnant daughter and daughter-in-law — more susceptible because of their expectant states. We have several family members over 80 with easily compromised immune symptoms. For them, foodborne illnesses could be fatal.

Small children need special consideration. Our 2-year-old granddaughter is more at risk than her 57-year-old grandmother. In fact, I’m the person at these summer gatherings who may be at the least risk. But I will definitely be the one most vigilant about summer food safety. I’ll be the one with the well-iced cooler and a thermometer to check its temperature. I’ll be the one who thinks ahead about having lots of food-safe picnic items (dried fruits, nuts, uncooked veggies).

And I’ll be the one enforcing the new picnic rule I just created: "If you’re hungry, wash your hands. Food will follow."

Sharon Johnson is an assistant professor in family and community development at OSU Extension and a member of the Senior Advisory Council. Reach her at s.johnson@oregonstate.edu.