With the weather warming many Islanders are preparing for barbecue season, and are reminded to follow some basic food safety guidelines when cooking on the grill, says Chief Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison.
“Eating undercooked meat and other foods that have come into contact with raw meat can result in foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning,” said Dr. Morrison. “Symptoms such as severe stomach cramps, vomiting, fever and diarrhea can be caused by harmful bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella.”
It is estimated there are 11 million cases of food-related illnesses in Canada every year. Many of these illnesses could be prevented by following proper food handling and preparation techniques.
The following tips can help lower your risk of foodborne illness by handling and cooking raw meat carefully.
Storing:
• Refrigerate or freeze meat after purchase. Raw meat should always be stored at 4ºC (40ºF) or below.
• Thaw meat in the refrigerator, not at room temperature
• If you are storing raw meat in a cooler, make sure that it is packed with ice and the cooler stays out of direct sunlight. Avoid opening it too often. Ensure meat products are well sealed and that ice water doesn’t come in contact with stored meat products. This can lead to cross-contamination.
• Make sure to keep raw meat and other foods separate to avoid cross-contamination.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator as soon as possible.
Clean:
• Remember to wash your hands and other utensils, like cutting boards, counters and knives, carefully with soap and warm water before and after handling raw meats. This helps avoid potential cross-contamination and prevent the spread of foodborne illness.
• Place cooked meats on a clean plate. Cooked food should not come in contact with raw or uncooked foods or juices.
When you grill:
• Colour alone is not a reliable indicator that meat is safe to eat. Meat can turn brown before all bacteria are killed, so use a digital food thermometer to be sure.
• To check the temperature of meat that you are cooking on the barbecue, take the meat off the grill and insert the digital food thermometer through the thickest part of the meat.
• If you are cooking a beef hamburger, take the patty from the grill and insert the digital food thermometer through the side, all the way to the middle of the patty.
• If you’re cooking more than one patty or piece of meat, be sure to check the temperature of each of the pieces.
• Use clean utensils and plates when removing cooked meats from the grill.
• Remember to wash the thermometer in hot, soapy water between temperature readings.
• Always remember to keep hot food hot until you are ready to serve.
For more information on food safety tips while barbecuing, visit www.gov.pe.ca/health/environmentalhealth
BACKGROUNDER
Always follow these safe internal temperatures to make sure that the food you are cooking is safe to eat.
Beef, veal and lamb (pieces and whole cuts):
Medium-rare ~ 63°C (145°F)
Medium ~ 71°C (160°F)
Well done ~ 77°C (170°F)
Pork (pieces and whole cuts):
Pork ~ 71°C (160°F)
Poultry (e.g. chicken, turkey, duck):
Pieces ~ 74°C (165°F)
Whole ~ 85°C (185°F)
Ground meat and meat mixtures (e.g. burgers, sausages, meatballs):
Beef, veal, lamb and pork ~ 71°C (160°F)
Poultry ~ 74°C (165°F)
Others:
ex. hot dogs, leftovers ~ 74°C (165°F)