Food safety month raises awareness of foodborne illness

September is National Food Safety Education month to raise awareness about things you can do to help protect your family from food poisoning.

In wake of the recent massive E. coli outbreak in the United States, it is important to know how to make sure your produce is safe for consumption.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every year, “an estimated 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from eating contaminated food.”

There are certain groups of people that can be more at risk for food poisoning: children younger than 5 years, adults 65 and older, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.

Often these groups are more susceptible to food poisoning and foodborne illnesses because of their ability to fight germs.

According to the CDC, “And kidney failure strikes 1 out of 7 children under age 5 who are diagnosed with E. coli.”

Food poisoning often causes symptoms such as a high fever, dehydration, and nausea.

In order to protect yourself from food poisoning and foodborne illnesses, the CDC suggests to make sure work surfaces and produce is clean.

Separate raw meats and eggs from ready-to-eat groceries and cook food thoroughly to kill bacteria.

To learn more about food safety month you can visit the CDC’s website.