Fresh Produce and E. coli Bacteria
The FDA has raised concerns and is issuing new safety guidelines for fresh produce producers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, that 12% of all food borne illnesses is caused by fresh produce.
America is eating more vegetable and fruits. That is great news. However, the food industry, in their never-ending research on how to attract the consumer, offers precut bagged vegetables. Allowing fresh picked vegetables and fruits to go through several more preparations steps through human handling and machinery contact have brought about the increase in E. coli breakouts.
Here at Infinite Health Resources, we strongly emphasize in many of our articles that washing your fresh produce and fruit is absolutely vital to good health.
The main culprit is many fruits and vegetables are eaten raw. Whereas meats such as, chicken and ground beef, although cause much greater outbreaks of E. coli, are cooked. Cooking, kills most E. coli bacteria. Also, poor handling and poor hygiene in the preparation of chicken results in many E. coli outbreaks.
The FDA does not inspect produce as it does with meat. Big food will often ship animal products and fresh produce in the same containers. Much of produce is also imported. We now have year round access to seasonal fruits and vegetables. This is a good thing. However a little diligence goes a long way.
Here are a few simple procedures to follow and protect the health of you and your family!
o Always be sure your fruits and vegetables are in a refrigerated case.
This rule can be eased when buying at a farmers market. The produce at the farmers market was most likely picked that day or a day before.
o Avoid wilted or damaged fruits and vegetables.
Strawberries do not have a long slelve life. If one container has at least one strawberry with fungus, then pass up strawberries for that day. That whole section is infected with this fungus.
o Avoid precut and prepackaged fruit and produce. Many people are fooled by some manufacturer labeling, Ready To Eat. That does not mean eat it right out of the bag. Buy the whole vegetable and cut it at home and wash it thoroughly in a strainer.
o Keep your fruits, meats, and packaged items separate from each other in your cart.
o Don’t go out clothes shopping with your groceries in the trunk. Get them home ASAP and in the refrigerator!
o Do not at any time use the same cutting board for meats and vegetables.
o Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water when handling different foods.
o When peeling fruits such as oranges, bananas, and vegetables like eggplants, wash them first. The peeled skin may come in contact with the edible portion and contaminate it.
Remember folks, a little knowledge can go a long way to keep you and your entire family healthy and free of disease.
Infinite Health Resources does not at any point, for any circumstances suggest that you do not follow or stop medical advice of your physician. We do not advocate any drugs that has not been prescribed by your physician, nor suggest that we are medical doctors nor are we giving medical advice. Infinite Health Resources is here purely as a resource. |
