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PO Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360
|Clifton R. Lacy, M.D. |
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Prevention of Food-Borne Illnesses
Health and Senior Services Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy, M.D. reminds New Jerseyans affected by recent power outages about prevention of food-borne illnesses.
Approximately 76 million Americans get sick, more than 320,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die each year from food borne illnesses, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Food borne illnesses can cause fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and dehydration. In some cases, they can cause more serious health problems, even death.
The Department offers the following food safety guidelines to reduce the risk of food borne illnesses:
· Always keep meat, poultry, fish and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 ºF and frozen food at or below 0 ºF. During a power outage, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. A sealed refrigerator can keep food cold safely for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full, closed freezer will hold its temperature for approximately 48 hours, 24 hours if it is half full.
· Have a supply of items on hand that don’t require refrigeration and can be eaten cold or heated on an outdoor grill. Stock ready-to-use food, boxed or canned milk, baby formula, water, canned goods and pet food.
· Use coolers to keep food cold if the power goes out.
· Keep a non-electric food thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer.
Besides being prepared for power outages,
The Department of Health and Senior Services offers these suggestions for cooking and eating outdoors:
Dr. Lacy advises all New Jerseyans to “use common sense and err on the side of safety. If you are not sure whether food has been maintained properly or cooked appropriately, don’t consume it. When in doubt, throw it out.”
For more information on summer food safety, visit the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site, http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety, or the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/pofeature.
Department of Health
P. O. Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360