Most consumers practicing safer food preparation

AORN Journal,  Nov, 2002  

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A nationwide telephone survey of 4,500 adults found that consumers have continued to improve their practices of safe food handling, according to a Sept 18, 2002, news release from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The 2001 food safety survey indicates that the dramatic improvement in consumer food safety practice that occurred between 1993 and 1998 has continued between 1998 and 2001. Safe food handling practices reduce the incidence of foodborne illness.

Since 1997, the FDA and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have advocated the following four basic food safety messages.

* Clean--Clean meat thermometers after use, have clean utensils and dishes on hand, and wash hands often.

* Separate--Separate raw foods from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.

* Cook--Cook foods to a safe internal temperature. Ground beef should be cooked to 160[degrees]F (71[degrees]C).

* Chill--Store leftover food in the refrigerator or freezer within two hours of removing it from the grill. On hot days (ie, higher than 90[degrees]F [32[degrees]C]) refrigerate or freeze food within one hour. The temperature in the refrigerator should be 40[degrees]F (4[degrees]C) or lower. Freezer temperature should be at or lower than 0[degrees]F (-18[degrees]C). Check the temperature occasionally with a refrigerator/freezer thermometer. Most of the consumers surveyed indicated they comply with these practices, particularly in reducing cross-contamination after contact with raw fish, meat, or chicken. More people reported eating raw clams, oysters, or fish in 2001 than in 1998, however.

Another report recently released by the USDA finds that although consumers believe they are more knowledgeable about food safety and have improved their food handling practices, in reality, some still are using unsafe practices. Researchers reviewed the food safety survey data, as well as observational studies of consumers preparing food and informal discussions with small groups of consumers. They found that although food thermometer ownership has increased since 1998 and usage has doubled, the percentage of consumers who use food thermometers remains low.

Some consumers continue to judge whether food is cooked fully by its color rather than its temperature. Color is not an indicator of safety, and a food thermometer is the only way to determine that meat has reached a high enough temperature to kill harmful bacteria.

Research Shows Improvements in Safe Food Handling by Consumers (news release, Orlando, Fla: US Food and Drug Administration, Sept 18, 2002) http://www.fda.gov /bbs/topics/NEWS/2002/NEW00838.html (accessed 25 Sept 2002).

COPYRIGHT 2002 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
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