Prevent Salmonella Food Poisoning

With the recent recall of a popular snack food, Veggie Booty, from supermarket shelves after possible contamination with Salmonella, it would pay to be more aware of how to prevent this sometimes fatal food poisoning. After all, who wants to be a statistic?

What is Salmonella food poisoning? It's actually one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the U.S.A. It leads to hospitalization in over 200 out of every 1000 cases diagnosed and to death in up to 8 out of every 1000 cases. It's caused by the ingestion of Salmonella bacteria from infected food which can include undercooked meat products, raw milk, or raw and undercooked eggs. Sometimes vegetables can be the source due to contamination from infected utensils used on raw meat or eggs.

What are the symptoms of this sometimes serious form of food poisoning? If you develop Salmonella food poisoning, your first symptoms will usually be the sudden onset of nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramplng, and profuse, sometimes blood diarrhea occurring from 8 to 72 hours after exposure to the bacteria. The gastrointestinal symptoms are can be associated with fever, headaches and joint pain. In some cases a rare complication called Reiter's Syndrome may occur which results in significant joint pain and swelling which may be permanent along with eye symptoms. Probably not your idea of fun!

Obviously, it would be best to avoid experiencing Salmonella food poisoning in the first place. What are some precautions you can take to prevent Salmonella food poisoning?

1. Become a habitual hand washer. Always wash your hands before and after food preparation.

2 Avoid the use of raw eggs in all recipes. When preparing recipes requiring raw eggs, see if they can be modified by substituting another ingredient.

3. Cook all meats and food items from animal sources thoroughly until no pink juices flow.

4. Clean all utensils used in cutting meat products or eggs thoroughly with soap and hot water before reusing.

5. Clean all surfaces used for meat cutting with soap and hot water before using them again. Disinfect your cutting surfaces to prevent cross contamination.