Food Safety: Are you keeping your family safe?

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Stacianne Boling
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Health
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The holidays are here which means many of us will have large dinners with our family and friends. Every year in the U.S. there are approximately 76 million foodborne illnesses, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 will die (FDA, 2008). According to the FDA, there are four steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming one of the statistics. 

1. CLEAN: wash hands (before cooking, after using the restroom and before eating-at a minimum), wash utensils and cutting boards before and after contact with raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.
2. SEPARATE: keep raw meat and poultry apart from foods that will not be cooked (ready to eat).
3. COOK: use a thermometer. You cannot tell if the food is cooked safely by the way it looks.
4. CHILL: chill leftovers and takeout foods within 2 hours and keep the refrigerator at 40 degrees or below. 

Having a meal in a restaurant or with your family can be a very pleasant experience. But it can also be a disaster. Following the proper handling techniques can prevent those unpleasant foodborne illness symptoms. If you do experience these symptoms, contact your physician as needed. 

One additional way you can keep yourself and others safe from foodborne illnesses is by notifying the base Public Health office. Take any complaints about unsafe food or dirty conditions on Davis-Monthan to the 355th Medical Group Public Health Office. 

Or if you would like more information on how to stay safe throughout the year, please contact Public Health at 228-2661/2693/2714 or email 355MDGPublicHealth@dm.af.mil. Provide contact information if you wish a response. Register complaints for off-base establishments through the Pima County Health Department, Consumer Health and Food Safety at 243-7908.