NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) – Summer is here, which means more barbecues with family and friends.
Karl Bromen Medical Center wishes you a “Food Safe Summer.”
The heat of summer is the ideal environment for bacteria to grow, and bacteria thrive between 90 and 110 degrees.
The medical center urges people to be careful to keep their hands, utensils and ingredients clean while handling raw foods.
Dietetic intern Pauline Wroczynski said prevention starts at the grocery store.
“That starts with your grocery cart – making sure you separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from prepared foods,” she said, “and then when you get home, that separation should continue in your refrigerator, cooler and wherever you prepare meat.”
If the temperature is below 90 degrees, the food can be left out for up to two hours. If the temperature is above 90 degrees, the time limit is one hour.
“When in doubt and unsure, throw it out,” Wrockenski says.
Nausea, vomiting, fever, stomach cramps etc. are some of the signs of food poisoning. Symptoms appear within 12-72 hours of ingestion.
Most of these are mild illnesses with minor symptoms,” Wroczynski said. “But if you have severe symptoms like a fever that lasts more than three days, a fever over 102 degrees, or severe diarrhea with an inability to keep fluids down, be sure to contact your doctor.”
Whole cuts of fish and beef or pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees, ground beef and burgers to 160 degrees, and chicken and turkey to 165 degrees.
