What foods are really safe to eat?!
Answers: i know the FDA regulates wat foods r safe, but keep in mind that salmonela, mad cow, bacteria, mercury, mold, and etc are out there... so wat is a safe food to rely on? no snacks/candy please...
Follow precautions because we can't be sure about sources of our food.
To avoid salmonella, use well cooked food, heat can kill it.
Caw mad, avoid eating brain and viscera, and cook meat well.
Generally heat treatment (good cooking) kills most bacteria. About toxicity with metals, pesticides, hormones, …etc, just peel the fruits and vegetables ( after good washing) because the residues accumulate under the fruit skin, also in animals avoid fatty parts because it is the storage for hormones supplementations.
Green leaves must be washed thoroughly.
i think green leaves like spinach,cabage,salads,etc
The Safe Food Chart
MEAT, POULTRY, and SEAFOOD
FOOD SAFETY IMPLICATIONS
Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Foods rich in protein, such as meat, poultry, and seafood, are more frequently involved in foodborne illness outbreaks than non-protein-rich foods for 2 reasons:
1. Protein-rich foods tend to be of animal origin, and the bacteria from the animals can be found in these foods.
2. Animal foods are rich in proteins, which are an important nutrient source for some bacteria.
In addition, if hands, cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and surfaces are not thoroughly and properly cleaned after coming in contact with these raw foods, the bacteria from these foods can be transferred to ready-to-eat foods.
HUMAN PATHOGEN ASSOCIATIONS
Campylobacter jejuni
(beef and poultry)
Clostridium botulinum
(seafood)
Clostridium perfringens
(meat)
Escherichia coli O157:H7
(ground beef and pork)
Listeria monocytogenes
(pork, poultry, and seafood)
Norwalk Virus
(seafood)
Salmonella
(beef, pork, poultry, and seafood)
Staphylococcus aureus
(beef, pork, and poultry)
Vibrio cholerae
(seafood)
Vibrio vulnificus and other vibrios
(seafood)
Yersinia enterocolitica
(meat and seafood)
FOOD SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
(ALL MEAT, POULTRY, AND SEAFOOD)
Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
Always wash hands, cutting boards, dishes, and utensils with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in your grocery-shopping cart, refrigerator, and while preparing and handling foods at home.
If possible, use one cutting board for raw meat products and another one for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Place cooked food on a clean plate. If you put cooked food on an unwashed plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood, bacteria from the raw food could contaminate the cooked food.
Don't use sauce that was used to marinate raw meat, poultry, or seafood on cooked foods, unless it is boiled before applying.
Cook raw meat, poultry, and seafood to safe internal temperatures. Use a clean food thermometer to check, and wash it with hot, soapy water between uses. For the recommended cooking temperatures, see the "Apply the Heat" chart.
If cooked meat and poultry look pink, does it mean that the food is not done?
The color of cooked meat and poultry is not a sure sign of its degree of doneness. For instance, hamburgers and fresh pork can remain pink even after cooking to temperatures of 160° F (71° C) or higher. The meat of smoked turkey is always pink because components within the smoke bind to the muscle pigment to form a stable pink pigment. Only by using a food thermometer can you accurately determine that meat has reached a safe internal temperature.
Do I have to cut off the government grade or inspection stamp on meat before cooking it?
No, the ink stamp is a harmless vegetable dye. Therefore, it is safe to eat.
What gives a slice of ham an iridescent sheen? Is this a sign of food spoilage bacteria?
The glistening, greenish, rainbowlike color that appears from a cut surface of a ham slice is a sign of oxidation and not necessarily spoilage. When the meat is exposed to oxygen or light, some of the nitrate-modified iron content of the meat undergoes a chemical change that alters the ham's pigmentation.
How can I tell if fish is fresh?
To be sure the safety of seafood is being properly preserved, only buy fish that is refrigerated or properly iced. Fish should be displayed on a thick bed of fresh ice that is not melting, and preferably in a case or under some type of cover.
Fish should smell fresh and mild, not fishy, sour, or ammonia-like.
A fish's eyes should be clear and bulge a little (except for a few naturally cloudy-eyed fish types, such as walleye pike).
Whole fish and filets should have firm, shiny flesh and bright red gills free from slime. Dull flesh could mean the fish is old. Note: Fish fillets that have been previously frozen may have lost some of their shine, but they are fine to eat.
The flesh should spring back when pressed.
Fish fillets should display no darkening or drying around the edges. They should have no green or yellowish discoloration, and should not appear dry or mushy in any areas.
Is it safe to eat Japanese foods like sushi and sashimi?
It depends. People in the at-risk groups should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. Sashimi is a Japanese specialty that always has raw fish, but not all sushi contains raw seafood. Some sushi is completely vegetarian. The two main safety concerns for people who eat raw or uncooked seafood are parasites and harmful microorganisms. Parasites in some undercooked fish species can harm both healthy and at-risk people. Commercially-prepared raw fish species that can harbor parasites may have been previously frozen to kill any parasites, but not all such fish may have been treated. However, freezing does not kill all harmful microorganisms. It is always best to cook seafood thoroughly to minimize the risk of foodborne illness. (For more information on raw fish consumption, see Raw Finfish and Shellfish below.)
FOOD SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
(SPECIFIC FOODS)
Ground Meat
Meat can have harmful bacteria on the surface from the slaughter process, equipment from the processing plant, or germs on hands, utensils, or kitchen surfaces. When meat is "ground up" at the supermarket and handled at home, this surface bacteria can end up inside the meat. This is what makes ground beef, for example, particularly at risk for E. coli O157:H7 contamination.
Proper cooking will kill harmful bacteria on the surface of a solid cut of meat, such as steak, because the surface gets direct heat. However, harmful bacteria on the inside of the meat are less likely to be killed by cooking if proper internal temperatures are not achieved.
That's why it's important to be especially careful that the internal temperature of ground meat reaches a high enough degree to kill bacteria. To destroy harmful bacteria that may be present in ground meat:
All consumers should cook ground meat to at least 160° F (71° C). Use an accurate, instant-read food thermometer to check. Make sure the food thermometer goes straight into the meat, but does not come out the other side and touch the pan.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention link eating undercooked, pink ground beef with a higher risk of illness. If a thermometer is not available, do not eat ground beef that is still pink inside.
Pork
Consumers may contract trichinosis (a disease caused by the parasite Trichinella spiralis) from eating undercooked pork. Pork must be cooked to a safe internal temperature to eliminate disease-causing parasites and bacteria that may be present.
Pork must reach an internal temperature, measured with a food thermometer, of 160° F (71° C), for medium or 170° F (77° C), for well done.
Poultry
Bacteria can be found on raw or undercooked chicken. To keep poultry safe:
Cook poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165° F (74° C). Consumers may wish to cook poultry to a higher temperature for personal preference.
Avoid purchasing whole poultry that's pre-stuffed but not cooked. If the product is left out at room temperature, the warm environment, along with the raw meat juices mixing with the stuffing, present a perfect environment for bacterial growth.
Raw Finfish and Shellfish
(including oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops)
Generally, seafood is very safe to eat, but raw or undercooked seafood can be unsafe.
Seafood grown or collected from contaminated water can get colonized by viruses in the water. Shellfish foods, such as oysters, pump a lot of water through their bodies each day and filter out microorganisms. Thus, they are very likely to collect viruses from the water. Some oysters, for example, are eaten raw or lightly cooked, which increases the risk of foodborne illness. And viruses are not the only culprits. Bacteria and parasites are threats to raw seafood, as well. To keep seafood safe:
Buy only fresh seafood that is refrigerated or properly iced.
Cooking fish until it's opaque and flaky helps destroy any existing pathogenic bacteria that may be present.
It's always best to cook seafood thoroughly to minimize the risk of foodborne illness. However, for people who choose to eat raw fish anyway, one rule of thumb is to eat fish that has been previously frozen. Some species of fish can contain parasites, and freezing will kill any parasites that may be present. However, freezing does not kill all harmful microorganisms, so the safest route is to cook seafood.
Some people are at greater risk for foodborne illness, and should not eat raw or partially cooked fish or shellfish. These susceptible groups include: pregnant women, young children, older adults, people whose immune systems are compromised, and people who have decreased stomach acidity.
The hamburger got its name when German immigrants from Hamburg, Germany, brought this popular patty to the United States in the 1850s. In the United States, the meat was placed inside a bun, and the hamburger was born!
Clams, mussels, and other mollusks obtain their food by filtering large quantities of water. In doing so, they can concentrate more bacteria and viruses than finfish. This makes raw mollusks unsafe to eat for people in at-risk groups.
these are th points which i studied wen i was working in the hotels as a chef ,,, and my be this study will help u too ,,,,, friend
food items like vegetables have more protein which build our memory power, an apple one day , eating nutritious food, calcium content food will be safe.
Any food can be dangerous at any point in time.
all food is safe to eat if you get it from a good source and cook it correctly ...
If you are afraid of the chemical and etc.... always go for orginic food.. these uses all natural feeds and etc....
or you can go into the country buy a farm. hire a helper, dig a pool and grow everything your own...and cook everything to the right temperature... you don't need any FDA to tell you that the food is safe..
:-)
vegetables and fruits would be better,its safe and healthy.
Fresh fruits and vegetables , meats and rice . These foods are safe and do not eat junk foods