Food Safety

Wow, a huge spike in views yesterday!  Thanks for sticking around.  Tonight I caught a story that started on the local news and continued on the world news.  This story is something that I can really relate to considering my background.  But I was completely surprised at the source of the study and very annoyed at what they pointed out because they forget to mention one very fundamental point.  Read on and I will get to it.


The entire story revolves around a study done by Consumer Reports.  I am not sure the point of the study or why they did it but they looked at the did a study checking the amount of bacteria in pork.  They found that there is a lot of bacteria in pork that can send you to the hospital.  I won't deny that bacteria can send you to the hospital, this isn't really news.  It has been known for a long time that pork tends to have more bacteria then other meats.  So why the sudden highlight on it?  My guess is that they have suddenly decided to push the organic farming method.  This comes within 24 months of them stating that buying organic is generally a waste of money!  There are a lot of issues with organic yet for the purpose of this story they have determined that you should ignore those facts though.  I won't say that organic is any worse for you but I won't say that it is any better either.  Both the organic and non-organic have advantages and disadvantages, do some research and make your decision.  Don't make a decision based on a scare tactic type of story like this one.

So what is the fundamental point that they missed?  They did mention it, it's just that they were trying to focus on their story.  Here it is, all food contains bacteria.  Keeping yourself safe, and out of the hospital, is all about proper techniques.  Following some very simple food safety practices is a must!  The most basic of which is to wash your hands.  Another place where most people get themselves sick is by waiting too long to put leftovers away.  They aren't something that you can leave out for a couple of hours.  Every minute it sits in the danger zone, between 40F and 140F, bacteria grows.  That danger zone is the next most important fact in food safety (hand washing is number one).  Yes, most of us grew up in houses where things like this weren't so important, however we didn't know as much about why we got sick as we do now.  Take a little time to learn some basics and you will keep yourself out of the hospital.

But going vegetarian will solve your problems, right?  Not necessarily.  There are issues with that as well.  pesticides and fertilizers are just a piece.  Think organic is better?  Think again.  The organic fertilizer often times contains waste.  But the issue that is common to both is the sanitary conditions of the plant and the field workers.  That has been something that has caused many health issues over the last few years.  Washing your vegetables is an important step.

There is no doubt that there is bacteria in pork, however this isn't something new.  The fact that they have decided that they will attack the pork industry this year (beef was so last year) is really just stupid.  Being a good cook or chef is as much about cooking safely as it is about flavor.  You could have the best tasting food in the world, if it gets people sick all the time they won't be coming back.  Don't be scared by this, just take the time to do things right and you will be just fine.