Cooking and storing food to the correct temperature is an easy way to help prevent food-borne illness in the home, yet few residents bother to use thermometers to monitor either cooking or fridge temperatures in their kitchens.
To raise awareness of food safety at home, and to spread the message about the importance of thermometer use, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Fraser Health have launched a new at-home food safety campaign and website www.RUHotEnuf.ca.
The website contains useful information about food safety. It also highlights the need for home cooks to use digital food thermometers and fridge thermometers regularly in their kitchens.
"One of the keys to food safety at home is using two types of thermometers -a digital food thermometer for cooking and a regular dial-type thermometer for your fridge," said Dr. John Carsley, VCH medical health officer in a news release. "We know that few people bother to test for food doneness or check the temperature in their fridges, despite how important it is. Along with hand, food and utensil washing, temperature checks are really important in preventing food-borne illnesses at home."
According to a recent survey conducted by VCH and Fraser Health, 86 per cent of respondents indicated they do not use thermometers to determine the doneness of either chicken or ground beef, and 80 per cent have never checked to determine if their fridges are cold enough.
Cooking to temperature is most important when preparing ground beef or chicken. These food items should always be cooked to an internal temperature equal to or greater the 74-degrees Celsius (165-degrees Fahrenheit).
In your fridge, the risk of food poisoning is reduced if perishable foods are stored at a temperature equal to or less than four-degrees Celsius (40-degrees Fahrenheit). The added bonus: Colder temperatures extend the shelf-life of food, thereby reducing waste and saving money.
The RUHotEnuf website will be operation over the next year. It's hoped the awareness-raising campaign will help reduce residents' incidents of food poisoning of which there are as many as several hundred thousand cases province-wide each year.
-Submitted
