Food safety no laughing matter

The most common symptoms of foodborne illness are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Not a pretty picture. That’s why it’s important to remind your griller of how to keep his creations free of contamination. Here’s a brief recap provided by the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods. For more detailed info, log on to: www.homefoodsafety.org.

•Wash hands often and thoroughly in warm, soapy water after handling raw meat, poultry or seafood, and when switching from raw to ready-to-eat foods.

•Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry and seafood, another for ready-to-eat foods. Label the boards and discard any with cracks, crevices or too many knife scars, which can harbor bacteria.

•Keep raw and cooked foods apart. Use a clean platter for cooked foods, not one that held the raw food.

•Cook foods to proper temperature, using a meat thermometer to test. Wash thermometer after each insertion.

•Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. In hot weather (80 F or higher) don’t let food stand more than 1 hour.