During Food Safety Education Month, Learn How to Prevent Food Poisoning and Keep Your Food Safe

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports that, “Every year, an estimated 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from eating contaminated food.” September is National Food Safety Education Month, a nationwide public health awareness campaign to increase education about preventing food borne illnesses (also referred to as food poisoning).

The United States Department of Health & Human Services suggests the following four steps to food safety:

  1. Clean – Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces often.
  2. Separate – Don’t cross-contaminate- use separate cutting boards & plates for produce, meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. Always keep certain types of foods like raw meat and poultry from other foods.
  3. Cook to the right temperature – Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick. Keep food hot after cooking. Microwave thoroughly.
  4. Chill – Refrigerate and freeze food properly.

The most common symptoms of food poisoning according to the CDC are:

  • Upset stomach
  • Stomach cramps
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever

See your healthcare provider if your symptoms are severe or if you are also experiencing bloody stools, a high fever, frequent vomiting, signs of dehydration, and diarrhea lasting more than 3 days. You may walk-in to any of our convenient Primary Medical Care Center community clinics, or you may schedule an appointment by visiting our website at www.primarymed.com, or call (305)751-1500 for our Miami-Dade clinic, or (954)289-0000 for our Broward clinic.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/symptoms.html

https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/4-steps-to-food-safety

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/education-month.html

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