No matter how delicious or nutritious a food is, its goodness will come to nought if the food is not safe. In fact, safety is the most important ingredient for a dish because food-borne illnesses bring miseries like diarrhoea or vomiting and in severe cases, death.

Food-borne illnesses are caused by harmful bacteria and their spores or toxins. These bacteria are either naturally present in foods or enter foods through careless handling. Two common forms of food poisoning are salmonellosis and staphylococcal poisoning. Salmonella, the bacteria that cause salmonellosis are found in raw meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Salmonella are also carried by insects, rodents and pets like birds, dogs and cats. On the other hand, staphylococcus bacteria live on human skin, nose and throat. They also love cream, custard fillings and sauces containing eggs.

Other than food and moisture, bacteria need warmth to breed. With this basic knowledge, let’s try to ‘germproof’ our foods.

• Harmful bacteria in raw foods can be transferred to ready-to-eat foods. So, have separate cutting boards for raw foods like poultry, meats and fish and for ready-to-eat foods like sandwiches, fruits and salads.
• Keep hot foods hot (above 60°C) and cold foods cold (below 7°C) until served because bacteria grow well in between these temperatures.
• Observe personal cleanliness. Do not sneeze or cough at foods. These are sure-fire ways of spreading Staphylococcus bacteria.
• Wash hands before handling foods, especially after visiting the toilet, changing diapers or handling pets.
• Do not wash pet dishes along with the family’s crockery. Ban pets from the kitchen.
• Cover wounds on hands with clean, waterproof dressing because pus and liquid from wounds contain loads of bacteria.
• Disinfect all kitchen cloths and sponges daily with a dilute bleach solution. A dirty sponge harbours up to a billion bacteria!
• Always thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator.
• Do not overload your refrigerator; allow cold air to circulate freely.
• Lastly, cook foods especially meats, fish, poultry and eggs adequately to kill the bacteria present.

The kitchen is a haven for bacteria. So, ensure cleanliness and good kitchen practices rule in here.