HEALTHY LIVING: Have you heard of the disease BOTULISM?

Botulism is a deadly but rare disease caused by a bacteria called
Clostridium botulinum. You can get it from eating meat that is not
cooked properly. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, difficulty talking
and stiffness of the facial muscles. Babies can get it as well as
adults. Botulism can be prevented by:
1. Shop with care. Check the manufacturing dates and expiry date on
products, keep meat and poultry products in separate bags and do not
let the raw flesh touch any other food products as you shop or bring
them home.

2. Keep cold and frozen foods as cold as possible - wrap in newspaper
to sustain the cold temperature. When possible, cold products towards
the end of your shopping. Store all foods properly and quickly when
you get back home.

3. Always wash your hands before and after preparing foods. Wash with
hot, soapy water. Keep dish cloths and hand towels regularly cleaned.

4. Keep your kitchen clean. Use a mild solution of water and soap to
clean your counters, cutting boards and utensils.

5. Use separate chopping boards for. preparing raw meat/poultry and
vegetables. Keep these boards separate to avoid any possibility of
cross-contamination of bacteria from meat to other food products. If
you cannot keep separate chopping boards, make sure you wash it with
hot water and detergent thoroughly after each use.

6. Keep foods separated. At all times, keep raw meat, raw eggs and
poultry away from cooked food, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

7. Cook foods thoroughly, especially red meat, poultry and eggs.
Cooking these foods all the way through will destroy harmful germs.

8. Keep hot foods hot (65°C/ 149ªF) and cold foods cold (4°C/ 40ºF).
You should make sure your fridge is set at a temperature of 4°C/ 40°F
or less.

9. Reheat leftovers thoroughly before serving. Leftovers that have
been reheated poorly can still contain active food pathogens.
Moreover, if leftovers have gone bad, no amount of reheating will make
them safe. Any signs of discoloration, sliminess, growth of mold etc.
are signals to discard the leftovers. Do not keep leftovers for long.
Never reheat leftovers more than once and never refreeze food without
changing its state! (i.e. you can freeze raw food, defrost the raw
food, cook the food, refreeze the cooked food, defrost/reheat the
cooked food. If the reheated cooked food is left over, throw it away
or there is a very high chance of getting sick).

Thanks for stopping by.