Are You Spreading Dangerous Bacteria Around the Kitchen?

Are you spreading dangerous bacteria around the kitchen and don’t know it? A study conducted in May 2018 by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) evaluated consumer food handling behaviours in a test kitchen. The study was conducted in six test kitchen facilities and cameras recorded participants’ actions and meal preparation from beginning to end. Before preparing the meal, a randomized treatment group watched a three minute USDA food safety video emphasizing the important of following proper food safety techniques and using a food thermometer. ​

The researchers spiked the turkey burgers with a harmless tracer bacteriophage MS2 and samples were collected from surfaces and lettuce. These burgers were then analyzed for prevalence and level of MS2. Individuals also completed post-observation interviews to discuss their usual food preparation practices and possible predictors of behavior change.
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Some of the results include:

• Viewing the video on thermometer use before food preparation encouraged individuals to follow proper food safety techniques,
• Reported food thermometer ownership was similar to data from 2016 in which 67 per cent of consumers reported owning a thermometer,
• Other indicators of doneness were common among control group participants; this includes relying only on touch or colour and touch,
• Proper handwashing was not addressed in the video, but participants were attempting to wash their hands about one-third of the time in either group, and
• The most common reasons for unsuccessful handwashing included not rubbing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds and not wetting hands with water.  
  
  

Each year, more than 4 million Canadians get food poisoning (also known as foodborne illness or food-related illness). Knowing how to properly cook, clean, chill and separate foods while handling and preparing them can help consumers prevent food-borne illness. Remember these tips to help protect yourself and your family:

• You cannot tell if food is safe by its smell or taste. If you are unsure, throw it out!
• Wash your hands. Use regular soap or an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.
  • Wash with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Make sure to wet your hands before applying soap.
  • If you are unsure if you should be washing your hands, you most likely need to be.
• Use paper towels to wipe kitchen surfaces. If not, change dishcloths daily as the cloths can be a source of cross-contamination and spread bacteria.
• Keep your raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood cold. Refrigerate or freeze these products as soon as possible or within two hours.
  • Keep these items separate from other food in the refrigerator. Store them in different containers and at the bottom of the fridge to reduce cross-contamination.
• Keep cold food cold and hot food hot, so your food never reaches the temperature “danger zone.” Bacteria love to grow quickly between 4OC (40OF) to 60OC (140OF).
• Always defrost food in the refrigerator, in cold water or the microwave, but never at room temperature.
  • Food defrosted in the microwave should be cooked as soon as possible after thawing.
  • Do not re-freeze thawed food.
  • Make sure cooked foods do not come into contact with food that has not been cooked yet.
• Cook food completely and use a clean thermometer to measure the temperature.
  • See Health Canada’s guide for safe internal cooking temperatures to help protect your family.
  • Colour and touch do not always tell if your food is safe. Always follow internal cooking temperatures to ensure the food is cooked completely (Government of Canada).

To read more about the study visit the executive summary here.