We've all taken our chances with Salmonella at some point, whether through a scoop of raw cookie dough or a piece of chicken that's not quite cooked through. No harm, no foul — right? Not so fast.
According to the CDC, Salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States, with over 1.35 million infections being reported each year. Most often, the illness caused by a Salmonella infection will pass in a few (very unpleasant) days.
People can become infected when they come in contact with bacteria from Salmonella-contaminated foods such as raw meat, poultry, eggs, unpasteurized dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. Salmonella is easily transferred from raw food to other surfaces by improper handling, as well as contact with kitchen surfaces and equipment.
Carelessness is a primary contributor as well; in an observational study conducted by the USDA, an astonishing 97 percent of participants didn't wash their hands after handling raw meat.
Comparatively, about 265,000 E. coli cases are reported each year, although we hear a great deal more about E. Coli contamination in popular media than we do about Salmonella. That's because the two are regulated in different ways.
The USDA considers many strains of E. coli to be "adulterants," classified as too dangerous to enter the human food chain. When regulators find them in raw meat, the contaminated items must be destroyed or fully cooked for use in ready-to-eat foods.
However, Salmonella is not classified as an adulterant by the USDA, who reason that "ordinary methods of cooking and preparing food kill Salmonella." About 18 percent of chicken and 15 percent of ground turkey contain Salmonella, but the USDA will usually only recall Salmonella-contaminated food if people get sick.
To avoid Salmonella, E. coli, and other foodborne illnesses, implementing food safety routines in your home is a must. A basic preventative step such as washing your hands with soap and water is an important daily routine to maintain, as is proper disinfection of kitchen surfaces and appliances. You should also make a habit of storing raw meat, poultry, and seafood separately from other items in the refrigerator.
Scrub thick-skinned fruits and vegetables with a vegetable brush to remove dirt and microbes. For more fragile produce such as berries or leafy greens, you can soak them in water for a few minutes before rinsing to help remove unwanted soils.
Produce that needs a gentler touch (leafy greens, berries, broccoli, etc.) can be soaked for a few minutes in clean cold water and dried with a clean paper towel or salad spinner. But be sure to keep fruit salads or other cut produce items in the refrigerator until just before serving, to avoid the risk of contamination.
As a rule, you should never wash raw chicken in order to avoid spreading illness-causing bacteria to hands, surfaces, cooking equipment, and even clothing.
Poultry naturally contains Salmonella, which you can kill by cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 165°F or higher. Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F - and don't rely on guesswork. Measure the temperature with a food thermometer to be sure.
After foods are cooked to safe internal temperatures, bacteria can reappear and reproduce to dangerous levels. Transfer leftovers into shallow containers for faster cooling, and into the fridge within two hours of being cooked.
Bacteria love warm temperatures and grow fastest between 40°–140°F, which is considered the bacterial "danger zone." As long as your refrigerator is set at 40°F or below, your foods will be less likely to become bacterial breeding grounds. This isn't a foolproof method for contamination prevention, however, and your refrigerator should be disinfected at least once every two weeks to prevent the spread of dangerous bacteria.
Remember, all disinfecting products need to stay wet on the surface for the labeled specific length of time to kill bacteria and viruses. This is referred to as "kill time," "dwell time," or "contact time" on the label. If it dries before the kill time is met, you haven't actually achieved disinfection, as illness- and disease-causing pathogens could still be lingering. This kill time can vary even among products made by the same company, so always check the label.
Make a habit of cleaning and disinfecting your kitchen countertops, cutting boards, utensils, and high-touch surfaces like handles before cutting and chopping produce. It's a good idea to keep separate cutting boards for raw meat and for produce, to ensure contamination prevention. A twice-weekly kitchen disinfecting schedule is recommended in addition to a daily cleaning schedule, as well as immediate spot disinfecting after any use of raw meat, eggs, or dairy products.
People commonly use disinfecting wipes out of convenience, but they often require surfaces to stay wet for up to 4–10 minutes to be effective, and that's harder to achieve than you might think. Many wipes contain highly evaporative alcohol, which causes the liquid to dry quickly, often forcing you to re-wipe multiple times to maintain the required dwell time. That's a waste of both time and money.
A fast-acting spray disinfectant can reach the hard-to-reach areas that wipes can't, and makes it easier to keep a surface wet for the full kill time, so germs are actually killed, not just wiped around. Your best bet for killing dangerous bacteria is a spray disinfectant with a fast kill time that stays wet and active on hard, non-porous surfaces long enough to do its job.
Learn more about Simple Green disinfectants.
