CHICAGO, July 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Food safety is
a serious concern with one in six Americans getting sick from food
poisoning per year. Young children are even more susceptible to
food poisoning because their immune systems aren't developed
enough to fight foodborne infections.
This August, during Kids Eat Right Month™, the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics, through its Home Food Safety program,
encourages all parents to teach kids how to reduce their risk of
food poisoning at home with four simple steps: 1) wash, 2)
separate, 3) cook and 4) refrigerate.
"Children start forming lifelong habits at a young age, so it is
important to establish good eating and proper food safety practices
early in life," says registered dietitian nutritionist and Academy
Spokesperson Wesley Delbridge. "Teaching good habits at this
impressionable age when kids are ready and eager to learn will
start positive lifelong patterns."
The Home Food Safety program is dedicated to raising awareness
about food poisoning and helping everyone know the basics when it
comes to safely preparing food at home. Delbridge offers the
following advice to teach kids how to safely handle food.
1) Wash: Wash hands for at least 20
seconds.
"Washing hands before and while handling food can prevent nearly
half of all cases of food poisoning, so it is important to show
children how to correctly wash their hands," says Delbridge.
"Always use warm, soapy water to wash the front and back of hands,
between fingers and under fingernails, all the way up to the wrist.
The "Happy Birthday" song is about 10 seconds long, so have kids
sing it twice while they lather up to ensure they wash for an
adequate amount of time."
2) Separate: Separate raw chicken, meats,
fish and eggs from ready-to-eat foods like bread and
vegetables.
"Cross-contamination occurs when juices from raw meats and poultry
touch ready-to-eat foods, so always use separate cuttings boards
for these different food items," says Delbridge. "Buy and use
different colored cutting boards to show kids the importance of
separating raw meats and poultry from ready to-eat foods. For
example, use a green cutting board for vegetables and a red one for
raw meats."
3) Cook: Always use a food thermometer to
determine if food is thoroughly cooked and don't eat raw or
undercooked foods.
"One of the most common food safety mistakes is not using a food
thermometer. Many people think they can tell when food is done
simply by checking its color and texture, but there's no way to be
sure food is safely cooked without using a food thermometer," says
Delbridge. "Show kids how to use and read a food thermometer. And
make sure kids know not to taste food until it's done. One of
the most tempting foods for kids to eat is raw cookie dough, which
is dangerous to eat when raw. So have kids take the Cookie Rookie
pledge."
4) Refrigerate: Cool foods promptly - always
within two hours.
"Cooling foods slows the growth of harmful bacteria, so in order to
keep food safe, all perishable foods must be refrigerated within
two hours of preparation," says Delbridge. "Lead by example by
quickly refrigerating perishable foods and explaining to kids the
importance of the refrigerator in stopping the growth of
illness-causing bacteria."
Children and families can learn more about these four easy steps
with games, activity sheets, articles and more on the Kids section
of HomeFoodSafety.org. For additional information on safely
handling food at home and reducing the risk of food poisoning,
visit www.HomeFoodSafety.org.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and ConAgra Foods' Home
Food Safety program is dedicated to raising consumer awareness
about the seriousness of food poisoning and providing solutions for
easily and safely handling food in their own kitchens. More
information can be found at www.HomeFoodSafety.org.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest
organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is
committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the
profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
Visit the Academy at www.eatright.org.
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's largest food makers with
branded and private branded foods found 99 percent of America's
households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving
restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Consumers can find
recognized brands such as Egg Beaters®, Healthy
Choice®, Hunt's®, Marie Callender's®, Orville Redenbacher's®, and many
other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food sold by ConAgra Foods
under private brand labels, in grocery, convenience, mass
merchandise, club stores and drugstores. ConAgra Foods also has a
strong commercial foods presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet
potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain
products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice
operators and commercial customers. For more information, please
visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.
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SOURCE Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics