SAFETY IN THE KITCHEN...WHAT CAN YOU DO?

The files & links here will help you to prepare your food safely and avoid falling victim to those nasty foodborne pathogens we usually refer to as "food poisoning". The CDC estimates that about 48 million Americans become sick with a foodborne illness each year... more than 3,000 die each year from food poisoning in the United States. The people most vulnerable to foodborne pathogens and more likely to die from foodborne illnesses are the very young, the very old and those with compromised immune systems due to illness or drug treatments. 

While foodborne illness outbreaks at restaurants and on cruise ships, or nationwide recalls of ground meat and raw spinach get lots of media play, it may surprise you to know that between 60 and 70 percent of foodborne illnesses occur at home, and most home kitchens wouldn’t pass a restaurant inspection. Cross contamination is a common culprit and can occur when you forget to switch knives when preparing raw meat and produce or not properly cleaning a cutting board between tasks or not washing hands thoroughly after a visit to the bathroom. If you take some time to read through the attached files, you will likely pick up some very important tips that will help you and your family to remain disease free!

The other big kitchen safety issue is accident prevention; what are the best ways to prevent falls, cuts, electric shocks and fires?  The Kitchen Safety Packet and links here will spell it out.  For the most part, using common sense should keep you safe in the kitchen, but it never hurts to remind yourself of safe practices!

It's tough sometimes for teenagers to believe that they could actually be injured in the kitchen, but we take safety very seriously.  We spend about 4 classes on kitchen and food safety before we start cooking and it is constantly reinforced as we begin cooking and throughout the term.