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10 Smart Shopping Tips To Protect Your Family From Getting Sick |
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Author: Terry Nicholls
Article source: http://www.mamashealth.com/. Used with author's permission.
Prevention of food poisoning starts with your trip to the
supermarket. Here's how to start off safely.
1. Pick up your packaged and canned foods first. Buy cans
and jars that look perfect. Don't buy canned goods that are
dented, cracked or bulging. These are the warning signs that
dangerous bacteria may be growing in the can.
2. Look for any expiration dates on the labels and never buy
outdated food. Likewise, check the "use by" or "sell by"
date on dairy products such as cottage cheese, cream cheese,
yogurt, and sour cream and pick the ones that will stay
fresh longest in your refrigerator.
3. Check eggs, too. Choose eggs that are refrigerated in the
store. Before putting them in your cart, open the carton and
make sure that the eggs are clean and none are cracked or
broken.
4. Raw meat, poultry, and seafood sometimes drip. The juices
that drip may have germs. Keep these juices away from other
foods. Put raw meat, poultry, and seafood into plastic bags
before they go into the cart. Separate raw meat, poultry,
and seafood from other foods in your grocery shopping cart
and in your refrigerator.
5. Don't buy frozen seafood if the packages are open, torn
or crushed on the edges. Avoid packages that are above the
frost line in the store's freezer. If the package cover is
transparent, look for signs of frost or ice crystals. This
could mean that the fish has either been stored for a long
time or thawed and re-frozen.
6. Check for cleanliness at the meat or fish counter and the
salad bar. For instance, cooked shrimp lying on the same bed
of ice as raw fish could become contaminated.
7. When shopping for shellfish, buy from markets that get
their supplies from state-approved sources; stay clear of
vendors who sell shellfish from roadside stands or the back
of a truck. And if you're planning to harvest your own
shellfish, heed posted warnings about the water's safety.
8. Pick up milk, frozen foods, and perishables (meat,
poultry, fish) last. Always put these products in separate
plastic bags so that drippings don't contaminate other foods
in your shopping cart.
9. Drive immediately home from the grocery store. This will
give cold or frozen food less time to warm up before you get
home. If the destination is farther away than 30 minutes,
bring a cooler with ice or commercial freezing gels from
home and place perishables in it.
10. Save hot chicken and other hot foods for last, too. This
will give them less time to cool off before you get home.
Terry Nicholls
My Home-Based Business Advisor
www.my-home-based-business-advisor.com
Copyright © by Terry Nicholls. All Rights Reserved. About The Author
Terry Nicholls is the author of the eBook "Food Safety: Protecting Your Family From Food Poisoning". In addition, he writes from his own experiences in trying to start his own home-based business. To benefit from his success, visit My Home-Based Business Advisor - Helping YOUR Home Business Start and Succeed for free help for YOUR home business, including ideas, startup, and expansion advice.
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