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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Experts urge cookout caution


Pete Wood, of Kellogg, lights up a barbecue Friday afternoon at Coeur d'Alene City Park during a family outing to celebrate a birthday. 
 (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Here’s a little garnish for your Memorial Day picnic:

Nearly 200 people were sickened by food-borne illness in the Inland Northwest in 2006, including many who suffered because they didn’t follow simple, well-known practices for keeping food safe.

Epidemiologists for health districts in Eastern Washington and North Idaho dutifully logged cases of three of the most common types of illness associated with improper food handling: 90 cases of campylobacteriosis, 63 cases of giardiasis and 39 cases of the sickness caused by the salmonella bacteria.

And those were only the illnesses they knew about. Actual bouts of headache, fever, nausea, aches and other unpleasant, even life-threatening symptoms likely were much higher, said Mark Springer, an epidemiologist with the Spokane Regional Health District.

Despite years of public-health lectures and “Fight Bac” advertising campaigns, health officials said there’s still a need for an annual nudge about proper storing and serving techniques, especially as the summer barbecue season begins.

“It’s amazing how many people don’t handle their food properly,” observed Dorothy MacEachern, also an epidemiologist with the Spokane Regional Health District. “It’s always worth a reminder.”

Nearly 500 picnickers are expected this weekend alone at Spokane city parks that accept reservations, said Tony Madunich, park operations manager.

That’s a lot of opportunity for food poisoning, at least to those who look for it.

“It’s the case where the egg salad is sitting out there for quite some time,” said Springer.

Caterers whose livelihood depends on delivering safe, delicious food say they sometimes shudder at the antics of the amateurs around them.

“Cross-contamination is the first thing in my head when I see chicken and beef,” said Romeo Herrera, executive chef and owner of Catered for You in Spokane.

Herrera worries when he sees people slicing carrots on the same board they used to cut chicken, or using a single knife for every kitchen duty. Bacteria transferred from raw meat are among the most common causes of food-borne sickness.

“You know what really makes me cringe?” he said, noting that TV’s most famous chefs commit this crime: “They take the chicken and then wipe their hands with a cloth towel and then use the cloth to wipe the counters.”

Undercooked ground beef, a prime source for E.coli 0157:H7 infection, also makes Herrera wince.

“The normal guy in the home or the park, he doesn’t have a thermometer,” said Herrera, noting that a grilled burger should reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. “The best way to cook a piece of ground beef is to cook it until it’s marked very well and then flip it only once. You don’t have to flip it and flip it.”

Researchers repeatedly have documented the most common behaviors that contribute to food-borne illness. In 2002, the state Department of Health reported that inadequate hand washing was linked to nearly a third of illnesses, while nearly a quarter were caused by not keeping hot foods hot and 20 percent were tied to not keeping cold foods cold.

In 2004, the Journal of the American Dietetic Association published the results of a behavior study of 92 people who agreed to be videotaped in their homes. The average length of hand washing was far less than the recommended 20 seconds, and only one-third used soap. A third of the participants didn’t even attempt to clean their counters during food preparation and nearly all were perpetrators of cross-contamination.

Using proper food handling techniques is important for everyone, but it’s especially vital for vulnerable people, health officials said.

“(Illness) would be particularly alarming in an older person,” MacEachern said.

Those preparing food for the very old, the very young, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems should take special care to follow safe practices.

“It’s just a good reminder,” she said.