Food safety tips for every occasion

Use these tips to help keep you and your family safe from food poisoning.

A woman laying on a couch covered up in a blanket recovering from sickness.
Food sickness from contaminated foods can cause an upset stomach, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fever and dehydration.

Understanding how you get food poisoning can help to keep you and your family healthy.  Michigan State University Extension and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that food poisoning can occur after consuming food that has been contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxic substances like molds or contaminants. After eating contaminated food, it may take hours to days before symptoms of food poisoning to begins depending on the type of contaminate and how serve the food was contaminated.

The CDC also reports that an upset stomach, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, fever and dehydration are common symptoms of food poisoning. These symptoms may range from mild to severe and aren’t all present depending on the type of contaminant you consumed. Severe cases of food poisoning can cause long-term health problems or even death.

To keep your food safe from bacterial growth, take the right steps that will help to ensure that you and your family do not get sick from food poisoning.

Michigan State University Extension and Food Safety.gov recommends these tips to keep you and your family safe from food poisoning:

  • Cook it: Cook food to the right temperature.This is done by checking food with a food thermometer. Just looking at the color and texture of the food will not indicate that it is safe to eat.
  • Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often.Surfaces like cutting boards, counters and utensils as well as hand washing need to be done on a frequent basis
  • Chill: Refrigerate food promptly. Keeping food out of the temperature danger zone will help keep food safe from bacteria growth which can harm consumers if eaten.
  • Separate: Store different types of foods separately.Think about the foods in your kitchen, fresh fruit and vegetables, raw meats like chicken, fish and beef. Keeping these foods separated can help prevent cross contamination from occurring.

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