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September is National Food Safety Education Month.
Learn how to be a food safety superhero! Take steps to help prevent food poisoning, and show others how to keep food safe.
Be a Produce Pro:
• Keep fresh fruits and vegetables separate from raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.
Use Separate Cutting Boards:
• One for fresh produce
• Another one for raw meat, poultry and seafood
Use Separate Plates and Utensils:
• For cooked foods
• For raw foods
Never place cooked food back on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.
Wash the plate with hot water and soap before using with other foods.
For more information on safely handling produce, check out the Produce Pro fact sheet at www.fightbac.org.
Causes of Food Poisoning
Many different disease-causing germs can contaminate foods, so there are many different food borne infections (also called food borne disease or food poisoning).
- Researchers have identified more than 250 food borne diseases.
- Most of them are infections, caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
- Harmful toxins and chemicals also can contaminate foods and cause food borne illness.
CDC estimates that each year 48 million people get sick from a food borne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die.
Do I have Food Poisoning?
Common symptoms of food borne diseases are nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. However, symptoms may differ among the different types of food borne diseases. Symptoms can sometimes be severe, and some food borne illnesses can even be life-threatening. Although anyone can get a food borne illness, some people are more likely to develop one.
Some Common Food borne Germs
The top five germs that cause illnesses from food eaten in the United States are:
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