motd Tues Oct 4, 2011

[Guest guest]

FOOD SCARE!

Tuesday, 04 October 2011

I'm sure you've been watching the news

lately and heard about the latest food scare to hit

our country. This particular food crisis began with cantaloupes from a big

farm in the western United States. Apparently,

their cantaloupes were contaminated with a bacteria

called lysteria.

I was shocked to hear that some people actually died as a result

of consuming these tainted cantaloupe and lots more

people became ill. Now I can understand getting

sick from eating a chocolate eclair. (A food that's

not so good for me anyway.) But I sure don't expect

to get sick from eating a healthy food like

cantaloupe.

I'm not about to stop enjoying my fresh

produce.

Now look, I'm not about to stop enjoying my fresh

produce. But I want you to know there are things

you can do to make sure all of your produce is

cleaner and safer to eat.

First of all, if it looks like something "strange"

is going on with the produce you're about

to purchase then, trust me, there probably is

something strange going on with it. Don't put any

produce into your grocery cart that looks bruised

or damaged. And when selecting fresh cut

produce such as melons, or bagged salad greens, make

sure they're refrigerated or surrounded by a bed of

ice.

At the checkout counter, make sure the checkout

person bags your fruits and vegetables separately from your

meats, poultry and seafood products. At home, your

refrigerator should be clean and set at 40 degrees

or below before putting your fruits and vegetables

away.

I have a little produce brush, with

which, I scrub my fruits and vegetables

under running water before I use them.

When you come home form your supermarket visit, wash

your hands with soap and warm water. Your hands

have touched a lot of foods in that market and keep

in mind, lots of other people have touched those

foods besides you. So to be on the safe side, make

sure your hands are good and clean as you put your

produce away.

In my kitchen, I have a little produce brush, with

which, I scrub my fruits and vegetables

under running water before I use them. I have one

friend who got a little, shall we say, carried away

and actually used detergent to wash her

produce! This is a no-no, by the way. (I think she

even put some veggies in her dishwasher once!

LOL.) After you wash your produce, you should dry

them with a paper towel or a clean, dry cloth.

And remember, don't keep that produce in your

chiller forever. Produce does have

a shelf-life, ya' know. Try to use your produce as

quickly as possible while its still fresher and

tastes better, too.

This cantaloupe scare was not our first food scare

this year and probably's not going to be our last,

So take some time and follow the food safety tips I

just told you about. That way, you can make sure

you and your families are always enjoying the

cleanest, safest produce possible.

Love,