Often we are so engrossed in making sure that we are eating the right kinds of food and looking after ourselves down the gym that we can overlook the fact that a healthy living should begin by disinfecting your kitchen!
"In most cases, it’s safer to make a salad on a toilet seat than it is to make one on a cutting board" (Dr. Charles Gerba, Microbiologist)
It is estimated that around 80 million people a year contract food poisoning or other foodborne diseases in the USA alone with the majority of these caused by bacteria in food. Although most food poisoning often results in mild gastric discomfort, in serious cases it can also result in death!
One of the best ways to protect yourself from these kinds of illnesses is to ensure that you are handling and preparing food in a safe fashion. If it’s a work environment that you are worried about the cleanliness factor it is often a good idea to enroll senior employees in a food hygiene training course to ensure that you can minimize the spreading of illness throughout the office.
So where do these pesky bacteria like to live and what’s the best way to tackle them?
Sponges and Dishcloths
Kitchen sponges are the biggest source of germs in the whole house and that is primarily because they are the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. Moist, warm environments with little holes are great for bacteria to hide in and multiply and when you wipe your kitchen surface and plates they can just migrate from one area of your kitchen to the other. Not only is it a good idea to throw your sponges and dishcloths away on a weekly basis you can also pop them in the microwave for a minute or so to completely wipe any trace of the pesky bacteria away.
Chopping board
As stated earlier, your chopping board can harbour a huge amount of bacteria. With most people just rinsing their chopping board, bacteria from raw meat can leave behind salmonella and other germs. Salmonella is one of the most prevalent in causing a food-borne illness. It’s a good idea to invest in some colour coded chopping boards – a green one for vegetables, red for raw meat and yellow for bread. This ensures that you are properly protected from cross-contamination.
Bottom shelf of the fridge
Perhaps less obvious, the bottom shelf of the refrigerator is full of germs as condensation and other moisture drip down from other parts of the fridge and collect on the bottom shelf. It’s a good idea to put your meat on the bottom shelf so that when defrosting the moisture can’t leak onto any other produce.
Hopefully these tips will keep you healthy and demonstrate just how important food safety and hygiene is whether in the house or in the workplace. Remember if you’re in any doubt about what you should be doing, it might be worth enrolling in a food hygiene training course.
About The Author:
Alice is a freelance copywriter working for Britannia Safety and Training. A comprehensive training provider offering food hygiene training courses in Norwich, Norfolk. http://www.britanniaits.com/courses/food-hygiene-training-in-norfolk/
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