31/07/10: 10 Common Food Safety Myths

1. Mayonnaise spoils more readily than other foods.

Actually, mayonnaise is made with pasteurized products and contains lemon juice, which contains a high level of acidity, preventing the mayonnaise from spoiling. It is no more likely to spoil than any other food. However, it is unsafe to leave any perishable food out for more than two hours.This myth probably originated from when mayonnaise was made with raw eggs, which are often bacteria carriers.

2. Washing poultry and meat will help prevent foodborne illnesses.

Washing poultry can remove surface pathogens, if done correctly. However, most people don’t wash their meat correctly, and end up cross-contaminating the kitchen. For this reason, its safer just to cook your meat to the correct temperature, which kills all surface and internal pathogens.

3. Using hand sanitizer is as effective as washing your hands.

Partially true. In normal day to day life, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer is actually more effective than washing your hands, especially since many people do not wash their hands correctly. Hand sanitizer kills microbes, while hand washing is the mechanical removal of the microbes from your skin. However, if you’ve just worked with a bunch of raw hamburger, and you have a thick coating of fat over your skin, hand sanitizer won’t be very effective. The best solution is a combination: wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, dry them, and sanitize.

4. No pink color in meat means it is done and safe to eat.

It might be done, but the only way to make sure is to check it with a thermometer. Meat color is determined by pH, not by temperature, and the only way to make sure that harmful pathogens are killed off by cooking is to cook food to the correct internal temperature. The FDA recommends the following:

* Ground beef: 160°F (71°C)

* Poultry: 165°F (74°C)

* Pork: 160°F (71°C)

5. You can thaw meat safely in the refrigerator, microwave or on the counter.

The safest place to thaw meat or poultry is in the refrigerator, which keeps it out of the temperature danger zone when bacteria are likely to multiply rapidly. If you need to thaw meat quickly, defrost it in the microwave and then cook it immediately. Never thaw meat on the counter—it increases the risk of cross-contamination and gives bacteria the opportunity to multiply quickly.

6. Contaminated food smells or tastes funny.

If your food smells or tastes funny do not eat it, it may be spoiled. However, dangerous bacteria such as E. coli, Listeria or Salmonella have no odor and are undetectable to human senses.

7. If you begin to feel sick, it must be the last thing you ate.

Actually, most people with a foodborne illness will not show symptoms anywhere from a few hours to more than a week after eating a contaminated meal. It is important to contact health officials if you think you contracted a foodborne illness. They can help trace the source of potential infections.

8. If you eat organic, you can worry less about contracting a foodborne illness.

Wrong. You are just as likely to contract a foodborne illness eating organic lettuce as you are eating regular lettuce. However, eating certain organic foods might lower your consumption of pesticides.

9. Eating butter left out on the counter will make you sick.

This one is partially true. Salted butter does not spoil nearly as quickly as other dairy products, but if you decide to leave it out cover it to prevent cross-contamination and use it within a few days.

10. If food has mold on it, it is still okay to eat as long as you cut the mold off.

Visible mold usually indicates the food product has been thoroughly invaded by mold and should be thrown out. The mold spots that are visible to the naked eye are mature colonies of mold spores. The mold is not confined to these patches though. Invisible threads of immature mold extend away from the spores and into what may appear to be a fresh and uncontaminated portion of food. However, it is okay to cut off a large area around a mold spot on hard cheeses.