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Every day we hear of someone becoming ill because of contaminated food. And while markets and restaurants make every effort to ensure staff due their diligence, someone always gets a bit of unwanted effects from either poor hygiene or food handling.

While FDA.gov is busy producing web information for us, sometimes the information is difficult to find, so periodically we review food safety steps as a helpful reminder.

Food born illness is particularly risky in older people, pregnant women, those with a weakened immune system and young children. Be food smart with these simple rules.

Wash your hands with hot, soapy water for 20 seconds before handling food, and always after using the bathroom, changing diapers, handling a pet or after doing the laundry.

Be especially mindful when using common restrooms. If no soap is available, wash your hands anyway. While we can sometimes get away with not washing our hands thoroughly, every little bit helps.

Wash utensils, hands and surfaces after preparing each food item.

Use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards. Wash and rinse them after each use using soap and water then rinse thoroughly.

Try paper towels to clean and rinse surfaces using fresh towels with each use.

If you use cloth towels, wash them often using the hot cycle of your washing machine.

Should you be using a sponge, use it for rinsing your dishes before putting them in a dishwasher. Sponges are bacteria breeding grounds waiting for a place to be deposited.

Lastly, always wash fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them.

We hope you enjoyed our newsletter.

In our next issue, we'll cover simple food handling techniques that can help you in preparing your next meal.

Catch you in our next newsletter.