There are many myths floating around about the practices for good home food safety. But what is fact and what is fiction? The University of California in Davis attempts to put straight facts to help families stay healthy and free from the danger of food-borne illnesses.
The Center for Consumer Research at UCD conducted a study that examined food preparation undertaken by individuals. From their research, they discovered that the most common risks stems from cross contamination and under cooking. These results surprised the scientist, especially the fact that under cooking is the most prevalent issue at hand.
Basic tips like washing hands with soap and water after dealing with raw meat and never rinsing raw poultry in a sink still needs to be empahsised to people. From the survey:
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65% of participants did not wash their hands before preparing a meal and 38% did not wash their hands after washing raw chicken
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10% washed their hands for the recommended 20 seconds and about a third washed their hands with water only
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Nearly 50% of people were observed to wash their chicken in the sink prior to preparation
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40% undercooked their chicken and only 29% knew the recommended chicken cooking temperature
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Only 48% of participants owned coking thermometers and 68% of that seldom use it to see if their chicken is cooked properly
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