Many Methods to Protect Yourself From Foodborne Illnesses

Food safety is an important goal. Each year, about 48 million Americans get a foodborne illness and about 3,000 of those people die. There are many different ways companies and consumers can try to prevent foodborne illnesses.

One of the main ways companies can help to prevent food problems is with a good inspection program. X-ray food inspection can help to ensure that no metal pieces wind up in foods, which is something that can happen in factories where food items are mass produced. Malfunctions and maintenance issues can lead machines to shed metal pieces, which can cause injuries when they wind up in food. X-ray food inspection machines can detect items that are 1.5 millimeters and smaller, which is better than typical food metal detectors. They also can detect the three main types of metal contaminants, which are ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel. This helps to reduce the possibility of metal shavings in food, which enhances safety.

Another way companies can ensure food safety is with proper packaging. For example, foods that are vacuum sealed will last three to five times longer than foods that are not vacuum sealed. That can help ensure that food stays safe. Using packaging machines that put food in vacuum packages or shrink sleeves will help, too. People can also help ensure the safety of the food they buy by ensuring it is properly packaged after it is opened. If you don’t have resealable packaging, you should ensure you properly store food that has been opened in some other container.

Keeping foods at proper temperatures is another good way to ensure safety. Food that needs to be refrigerated needs to be kept at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit while frozen foods should be kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit for the best results. The same goes for foods that need to be cooked. It’s important to cook them for the recommended time and at the recommended temperatures to ensure they are safe to eat. This is especially important with certain types of meat and fish.

Whether it’s using the right food packaging containers, doing the proper inspections or storing or cooking foods at the right temperatures, there are a number of things you can do to help ensure food safety and prevent foodborne illnesses. Though these methods aren’t foolproof, they will go a long way toward protecting you and your family.