Food safety problems and solutions are a serious issue that need to be handled carefully. In today’s article, we will be looking at steps that we can follow to tackle this issue.

Food Safety can be achieved in the following ways:-  

HAND WASHING AND CLEANING MAINTENANCE SHOULD BE PRACTICED TO AVOID FOOD SAFETY PROBLEM.

Bacteria can be spread throughout the kitchen and get onto hands, cutting boards, utensils, counter tops and foods. To ensure that your hands and surfaces are cleaned, make sure you:-

a. Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20-30 seconds before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling pets.

b. Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.

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2. 
   Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. At least, this will help to reduce the risk of food safety problems one might encounter. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine or with very hot water.
   
   d. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten.
   
   e. Rub firm-skin fruits and vegetables under running tap water or scrub with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing.
   
   f. Clean lids of canned goods before opening it.
   
   g. Use only sound and clean raw material and do use safe and clean water to prepare foods.
   
   h. Prevent foods from being contaminated by pathogens coming from humans, pets or pests.
   
   i. Package foods using appropriate containers and store them at the proper temperature.
   
   j. Separate raw and cooked food to prevent contaminating the cooked foods.
   
   
   2. Separate raw meat/fish/poultry from other foods.
   
   Cross-contamination can occur when bacteria are spread from one food product to another.
   
   This is especially common when handling raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs. The key is to keep these foods and their juices away from ready to eat foods. To prevent cross- contamination, remember to:-
   
   Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags, and in your refrigerator.
   
   Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
   
   Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.
   
   Don’t reuse marinades used on raw foods unless you boil them first.
   
   3. In food safety problems its advice to cook at the temperature and time
   
   Food is well cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill the harmful organisms that cause harm to the body. To ensure that your foods are cooked well at all times:-
   
   Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods. Check the internal temperature in many places to make sure the meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or dishes containing eggs are cooked to safe minimum internal temperatures.
   
   Cook ground meat or poultry until it reaches a safe internal temperature. Colour is not a reliable indicator of safe cooking.
   
   Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. Only use formulas in which eggs are cooked or heated well.
   
   When cooking in a microwave oven, cover, stir, and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking.
   
   Always permit standing time, which finishes the cooking, before checking the internal temperature with a sustenance thermometer. Food is done when it achieves the sheltered least inward temperature. Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating.
   
   4. Chill or Refrigerate food promptly.

Refrigerate food as quickly as possible because cold temperatures slow the growth of harmful bacteria. Cold air must circulate to help preserve food. Keeping a constant refrigerator temperature of 4°C or below is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.

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Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the temperature is constantly 4°C or below and the freezer temperature is 0°C or below. To Chill Food Properly:

Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry eggs, seafood and other perishable foods within 2 hours of cooking or purchasing or within 1 hour if the temperature outside is above 30°C.

Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the counter top. Food must be kept as a safe temperature during thawing.

There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator. Use or discard refrigerated food on a regular basis.

NB: food safety problems and solutions is not an issue to be taken likely by anyone. There are times when one feels they are doing things the right way, but later find out they took things for granted.

Always treat with caution anything that pertains to food, to avoid food poisoning which is due to negligence on the food safety problem.

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