This Barbeque Season Fight BAC!™

At this time of year, cooking on the barbecue for family and friends is always fun. Region of Waterloo Public Health would like to remind consumers that cooking outdoors is no reason to forget about safe food handling practices.

Safe food handling practices are important year round. However, with barbecuing, we need to be extra careful about cooking food thoroughly and avoid raw meat touching or dripping onto ready-to-eat food (cross-contamination). Eating undercooked meat, poultry and fish, or food which has been cross-contaminated with harmful bacteria, can make you sick.

“Hamburger disease” is the common name for the type of food poisoning caused by E. coli 0157:H7. E. coli 0157:H7 is a strain of common intestinal bacteria that produces a potent toxin. The toxin can cause serious illness in anyone, but particularly in children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. Symptoms of E. coli 0157 infection include stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea that may become bloody. Severe disease can lead to kidney damage and in some cases, death. Outbreaks have been traced to the consumption of undercooked ground beef, unpasteurized milk and unpasteurized apple cider. Illness occurs within 2-10 days of consuming contaminated food or drink.

To avoid foodborne illness and Fight BAC!™, follow these four simple steps:

Clean:

• Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with warm soapy water before and after handling food.
• Clean and sanitize cooking utensils and surfaces that come in contact with food before and after food preparation (5 ml/1 tsp. bleach per 750 ml/3 cups water).

Cook:

• Ensure the meat, poultry and fish are cooked to the proper temperatures.
• Food Temperature
• Whole Poultry 82°C (180°F)
• Poultry other than whole 74°C (165°F)
• Ground Beef 71°C (160°F)
• Fish 70°C (158°F)
• Pork 71°C (160°F)

 Chill:

• Never defrost food at room temperature.
• Keep meat, poultry, fish, salads and perishable foods in the refrigerator at 4ºC (40ºF) or colder until you are ready to use them
• Use coolers with ice for storing potentially hazardous foods when outdoors.
• Bacteria can multiply quickly at room and outdoor summer temperatures, so food left out at ambient temperatures for longer than two hours should not be consumed.

Separate:

• Use separate utensils, cutting boards and plates for raw and cooked food.
• Sauce that is used to marinate raw meat, poultry or seafood should not be used on cooked foods.

Remembering to: (1) thoroughly cook foods; (2) keep hot foods hot; (3) keep cold foods cold; and (4) perform proper sanitation will help keep this year’s outdoor cooking events fun for everyone.

If you have any questions about food safety, call us at the Region of Waterloo Public Health, Food Safety Program, 519-883-2008, or visit our Food Safety website.

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Media contact: Diana Yung, Public Health Inspector, 519-883-2008 ext. 5186