• Debra Proctor, Extension Agent
Wasatch County
• Ellen Serfustini, Extension Agent
Carbon County
• Christine Jensen, Extension Agent
Emery County
Used with permission from Alice Henneman, MS, RD, University of Nebraska,
Lincoln Extension
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln-Lancaster
Extension in Lancaster County County Health Dept.
I wish I’d known
these things!
February 2007
Download this PowerPoint at http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/myths.shtml
10 Safety Myths
Don’t be “myth”-
led!
Following are the
facts for 10
common food
safety myths...
Myth 1
If it tastes
O.K., it's
safe to eat.
Fact 1
Don’t count
on these to
tell you if
Smell Taste
a food is
safe to eat!
Sight
Estimates of foodborne illnesses
in the U.S. each year
76 million people
become ill
5,000 people die
Would this many
people eat
something if they
thought it tasted,
looked or
smelled bad?
Even if tasting would tell …
Why risk getting sick?
A “tiny taste” may
not protect you.
As few as 10 bacteria
could cause some
foodborne illnesses,
such as E. coli!
Myth 2
If you get sick
from eating a
food, it was
from the last
food you ate.
OOPS!
Fact 2
It can take
½ hour to
6 weeks to
become sick
from unsafe foods.
You usually
feel OK
immediately
after eating
and become
sick later.
Foodborne illness is
NOT a pretty picture!
Hey guys,
I have to
throw up!
Myth 3
The worst that
could happen to
you with a
foodborne illness
is an upset
stomach.
Fact 3
Upset stomach Fever Diarrhea
OOPS! Dehydration
(sometimes severe)
Less common, but
possible severe conditions
Meningitis
Paralysis
Death
Myth 4
If I’ve never been
sick from the food I
prepare, I don’t
need to worry
about feeding it to
others.
Fact 4
Some people have
a greater risk for
foodborne
illnesses.
A food you can Is the food safe
safely eat might for everyone at
make others sick.
the table?
People with a higher risk for
foodborne illness
Infants Young children and
Pregnant older adults
women
People with weakened immune
systems and individuals with
certain chronic diseases
Myth 5
People
never used
to get sick
from their
food.
Fact 5
Many incidents
of foodborne
illness went
undetected in
the past.
Symptoms of nausea,
vomiting, and
diarrhea were often
and still are blamed
on the "flu."
Foodborne illness vs. flu
More common in More common in
foodborne illness: flu: Respiratory
Gastrointestinal
Nausea Chest discomfort
Vomiting Cough
Diarrhea Nasal congestion
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Our food now
travels farther
with more
In days gone by,
chances for the chicken served
contamination. at supper may have
been in the hen
house at noon!
Myth 6
As long as I
left the lid on a
food that has
set out too
long, it is safe
to eat.
Fact 6
Though food may be safe after
cooking, it may not be safe later.
Just one bacteria in the food
can double in 20 minutes!
How many bacteria will
grow from one bacteria left at
room temperature 7 hours?
2,097,152!
Refrigerate On a hot day
perishable foods (90°F or higher),
within two hours food should not
at a refrigerator sit out for more
temperature of than one hour.
40°F or lower.
Myth 7
If you let a food
sit out more than
two hours, you
can make it safe
by heating it
really hot!
Fact 7
Some bacteria, such as staphylococcus
(staph), produce toxins not destroyed by
high cooking temperatures.
Myth 8
If a hamburger is
brown in the
middle, it is
cooked to a safe
internal
temperature.
Fact 8
1 out of 4
hamburgers
turns brown
before it has
been cooked
to a safe
internal
temperature.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture/Food Safety & Inspection Service
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/therm/researchfs.htm
Which ground beef patty is cooked
to a safe internal temperature?
Source: United States Department of Agriculture/Food Safety & Inspection Service
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/therm/researchfs.htm
This IS a safely This is NOT a safely
cooked hamburger, cooked hamburger.
(internal temperature Though brown
of 160ºF), even inside, it’s
though pink inside. undercooked.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture/Food Safety & Inspection Service
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/therm/researchfs.htm
Research shows
some ground beef
patties look done
at internal
temperatures
as low as 135ºF.
Cook to 160°F
Food thermometers & thin foods
When measuring the If using an “instant-read”
temperature of a thin dial thermometer, the
food, such as a probe must be inserted in
hamburger patty, pork the side of the food so the
chop, or chicken breast, entire sensing area
an “instant-read” digital (usually 2-3 inches)
thermometer should be is positioned through
used, if possible. the center of the food.
Myth 9
Meat and
poultry should
be washed
before
cooking.
Fact 9
Washing is NOT
necessary or
recommended.
Washing increases
the danger of cross-
contamination,
spreading bacteria
present on the
surface of meat and
poultry to:
ready-to-eat foods
kitchen utensils
counter surfaces.
Cooking meat and poultry to the
recommended internal temperature
will make them safe to eat.
USDA Recommended Safe
Minimum Internal Temperatures
• Steaks & Roasts - 145°F
• Fish - 145°F
• Pork - 160°F
• Ground Beef - 160°F
• Egg Dishes - 160°F
• Chicken Breasts - 165°F
• Whole Poultry - 165°F
Myth 10
We should
be scared of
eating almost
everything!
Fact 10
“... the American food supply continues to be
among the safest in the world.”
Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D., Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and
Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, November 15, 2006 at
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2006_11_15/Brackett.pdf
I'm not afraid of
Proper food storms, for I'm
learning how to
handling helps
sail my ship.
assure food
is safe to eat.
4 steps follow ...
Louisa May Alcott, Author
Clean.
Wash hands, utensils, and cutting
boards before and after contact with
raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs.
Separate.
Keep raw meat and poultry apart from
foods that won’t be cooked.
Cook.
Use a food thermometer – you can’t tell
food is cooked safely by how it looks.
Chill.
Chill leftovers and takeout foods within
2 hours and keep the fridge at 40 °F
or below.
Remember: When in doubt ...
TOSS IT OUT!!!
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