by Diane Sagers

GUEST COLUMNIST

That "24-hour flu" is nasty business. An errant flu bug bites and you are sick to your stomach a little or a lot. It usually lasts about a day, but could go on for a couple of days. No one likes it, but it is often avoidable. Very often, that particular "flu bug" is actually food poisoning. Foodborne illness is avoidable -- it is a matter of taking a few precautions.

Cleanliness

The key to food safety is cleanliness. Food and everything that touches it should be kept clean. Even with governmental regulations and inspections of food processing and packing plants, food is not always clean. Consumers (that is us) have a responsibility to ensure that food is handled safely after it is purchased.

Keeping things clean at home is one thing, while taking it on the road for picnics and cookouts is another. With summer picnics on the horizon, learn how to keep things safe and adapt it to your outings.

Clean hands are on the top of the list for keeping from getting sick and spreading illnesses. You pick up germs all over the place -- on shopping cart handles, door knobs, computer keyboards, items you pick up, various surfaces and animals or other people you touch. Cleaning your hands will go a very long way toward avoiding illness.

Wash hands often. The list of times is long -- before eating; before, during and after handling food; after contact with blood or body fluids (like vomit, nasal secretions, or saliva); after changing a diaper; after you use the bathroom; after handling animals, their toys, leashes, or waste; after touching something that could be contaminated (such as a trash can, cleaning cloth, drain, or soil); before and after dressing a wound, giving medicine or inserting contact lenses;, more often when someone in your home is sick; and any other time that they look dirty.

Hand washing is more than running water over your fingertips. Wet hands, apply soap, rub together vigorously to make a lather and scrub all surfaces. Keep it up for 20 seconds, as it takes that long for soap and scrubbing to dislodge and remove stubborn germs. Singing "Happy Birthday" the whole way through twice takes about that length of time.

Rinse hands well under running water and dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use the paper towel to turn off the faucet.

Cleaning other surfaces that touch food is also paramount. Cleaning is not the same as disinfecting. Cleaning with soap and water is usually enough. But sometimes you want an extra level of protection.

You may go over the countertop or tabletop with a damp dishcloth to remove food and visible dirt, but infectious germs remain behind for hours or even days. Use a proper disinfectant that is suited to food areas to destroy bacteria and other germs. The container must include the word "Disinfectant" and it must have an EPA registration number.

Germs are not choosy where they live, and they do lurk everywhere, but they are particularly likely to grow in certain areas.

In the kitchen, they grow on areas where food is prepared. Clean and disinfect counters and other surfaces before, during and after preparing food -- especially meat and poultry. Following label directions, spray surfaces with disinfectant and let it stand a few minutes.

Use paper towels that can be thrown away or use clean dish clothes and towels that are washed later in hot water. Sanitizing wipes that clean and disinfect are another option.

Bathrooms also harbor germs. Clean and disinfect all surfaces routinely, particularly if someone in the house has a cold or flu.

Separate! Avoid transferring harmful bacteria from one food to other foods on cutting boards and utensils. Cutting raw meat, poultry, or fish on a cutting board and then slicing salad vegetables on the same cutting board without washing the cutting board between uses cross-contaminates. The meat, poultry or fish will be cooked and cooking destroys microorganisms. However, the fresh salad is not cooked and germs that are left on cutting boards or knives continue to grow on the greens.

Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold

Cook foods long enough. Meat must be cooked to a high enough temperature in the center to destroy germs. Use a food thermometer to make sure the food has gotten hot enough on the inside to be sure that salmonella, e-coli and the like have been destroyed.

Do not leave foods out for too long at room temperatures. Keep your refrigerator temperature at 40 degrees or lower. The unsafe temperature of food is 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Put perishables in the fridge or freezer right away -- within two hours of purchase or preparation or one hour if the temperature is more than 90 degrees.

Thaw food in the refrigerator. For quick thawing, submerge in cold water in airtight packaging, or thaw in the microwave, and cook the food immediately.