Don't
Let Unsafe Food Spoil Your Tailgating Party
Experts
Suggest Rules To Follow
Autumn
brings football and with this sporting event, be it an NFL team or your
favorite college team, comes the traditional tailgating party before
the big game.
Experts
on food safety suggest that you do not let food poisoning sideline your
tailgating party.
Food-borne illnesses
affect millions of Americans each year. Many persons who think they
have the flu or a virus are really victims of mild cases of food poisoning,
caused by bacteria and viruses found in food.
Particularly vulnerable
to these infections are young children, the elderly, pregnant women
(because of the risk to the fetus), and persons with chronic or serious
illnesses, whose immune systems are already weakened.
Because feasting
before the football game can mean perishable food has to stand in warm
temperatures for hours, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
offers these tips to make sure the party stays near the stadium, not
the emergency room:
- Keep raw and
cooked foods separate at all times. Cross-contamination is one of
the main causes of food-borne illnesses. Try using color-coded plates
and utensils so you'll know which is which.
- Bring lots of
extra utensils for eating and preparing. Using a new utensil is easier
than trying to clean on the spot.
- Make sure raw
meat and poultry are wrapped separately from cooked foods while in
the cooler.
- Wash your hands
before and after preparing food.
- Bring your own
soap, water, and disposable wipes should a water source be unavailable.
- Use an ice scoop
to handle ice. The last thing you want is lots of unwashed hands touching
ice that's going to go in somebody's drink.
- Keep hot food
hot and cold food cold. Bacteria multiply best between 40 degrees
and 140 degrees.
- Do not leave
food out of the cooler or off the grill for more than two hours (one
hour if the temperature is over 90).
- Always put perishable
food in a cooler with ice or ice packs. Move it directly from the
fridge or freezer to the cooler.
- Make sure the
cooler is well-insulated and keep the temperature below 40 degrees
Fahrenheit.
- Pack meat and
poultry while it's still frozen.
Fully loaded coolers stay colder longer. If you don't have enough
food to fill it up, add ice or fruit or even something like a jar
of peanut butter.
- Keep drinks
in a separate cooler. This way, people won't be opening and closing
the one with the meat inside.
- Transport the
cooler in the air-conditioned part of the car.
- Make sure foods
are cooked thoroughly, and use a meat thermometer to make sure.
Always consult
your physician for more information.
Symptoms
of Food Poisoning
Most cases of food
poisoning mimic gastroenteritis, and many people with mild cases of
food poisoning think they have the "stomach flu."
However, the onset
of symptoms is usually very sudden and abrupt, often within hours of
eating the contaminated food.
Symptoms may include:
- watery and/or
bloody diarrhea
- abdominal distention
and gas
The symptoms of
food poisoning may resemble other medical conditions or problems.
Mild cases of food
poisoning are often treated as gastroenteritis, with fluid replacement
and control of nausea and vomiting being the primary focus. However,
in serious cases of food poisoning, hospitalization may be necessary.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
Online
Resources
American
Council on Exercise
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Healthfinder,
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Men's
Health Network
National
Institutes of Health (NIH) |
November 2003
In
This Issue:
Don't
Let Unsafe Food Spoil Your Tailgating Party
Symptoms
of Food Poisoning
Causes
of Food Poisoning
Online
Resources
Other
Resources:
Find
a St. John's Mercy Physician
Sports
& Therapy Services at St. John's Mercy
Men's
Health Information
St.
John's Mercy Classes and Programs
In
Other Men's Health News:
Causes
of Food Poisoning
Most
food-borne illnesses are caused by eating food containing certain
types of bacteria or viruses.
After
a person has eaten these foods, the microorganisms continue to grow,
causing an infection. Foods can also cause illness if they contain
a toxin or poison produced by bacteria growing in food.
Several
different kinds of bacteria can cause food poisoning. Some of the
common bacteria include the following:
- Salmonella
and Campylobacter - normally found in warm-blooded animals such
as cattle, poultry, and swine and may be present in raw meat, poultry,
eggs, or unpasteurized dairy products.
- Clostridium
perfringens - may be present in raw meat, poultry, eggs, or unpasteurized
dairy products, as well as in vegetables and crops that come into
contact with soil. Infection may occur when soups, stew, and gravies
made with meat, fish, or poultry are stored improperly or left unrefrigerated
for several hours.
- Listeria -
mainly associated with raw foods of animal origins.
- Staphylococci
- occur normally on human skin and in the nose and throat. These
bacteria are transmitted to food when handled.
- Escherichia
coli (E. coli) - found in the intestines of healthy cattle. An infection
is caused by eating undercooked beef (especially ground beef) or
unpasteurized milk.
Hepatitis
A and other viral diseases may be passed through the hands of infected
persons onto the hands of food handlers or into sewage. Shellfish and
other foods which may have been exposed to sewage-contaminated water
can transmit these viral diseases.
Botulism
is a rare but deadly form of food poisoning caused by Clostridium botulinum,
which is found almost everywhere, including in soil and water. Low acid
foods, such as meat, fish, poultry, or vegetables, that are improperly
canned may be breeding grounds for this bacteria.
Always
consult your physician for more information.
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