How to Prevent Foodborne Illness in Your Home
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 48 million Americans get sick from foodborne illness every year. A foodborne illness occurs when you consume contaminated food or beverages. It’s important to understand how to prevent foodborne illness in your home. There are also a few things to keep in mind when grocery shopping.
At the Grocery Store
- Always place raw meat, poultry and seafood in plastic bags. This helps prevent any of their juices from dripping onto other items in your cart. If possible, store your meat, poultry or seafood in a specific section of your cart, like a bottom rack or front area.
- Check your packaging before buying. If you are buying canned goods, don’t buy a can that has been dented or is bulging. There is a chance it could be contaminated if it’s lost its seal. For other packaging, don’t buy it if it has torn edges, ice crystals or has been opened.
- Be aware of how long you are keeping your groceries in your car. Food safety experts say you have a 2 hour window of time between when you pick out your groceries at the store to when you put them away in your home. If the outdoor weather is hot (90 degrees or hotter), you have roughly one hour. Always store your groceries in an air conditioned car vs. a trunk. If you have a long drive ahead of you, consider bringing along a cooler for perishable items.
At Home
- Do not keep cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Instead, refrigerate your cooked and perishable foods promptly.
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds thoroughly with soap after handling raw meat. It’s good to practice sanitizing your kitchen surfaces before handling raw meat too.
- Always use separate serving platters & kitchen utensils. You would never want to place your cooked meat on the same plate used for raw meat. Same goes for your utensils.
- Be aware of your refrigerator temperature. If your temperature goes about 40° F, there is a chance bacteria can start to form.
Understanding proper food handling is crucial for foodborne illness prevention! Knowledge is the first step to keeping yourself, as well as your friends and family members, healthy. For more information, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you have questions about your insurance, call the insurance agents at Carr’s Insurance Agency. We have years of insurance experience and can help you insure everything from your home to your auto or motorcycle. We live where you do and are an independent insurance agent, so we can help you find the right company to fit your needs. You can also check out our website, 24/7.
For your teen, learning how to drive is one of the most exciting times of their lives. Finally, a means to freedom so they think. We all remember the excitement of getting our driver’s permit, then our driver’s license. While your teen driving has its benefits, it also comes with a great amount of responsibility. Reminding your child that driving is a privilege and not a right can help them to remain in control and not distracted while driving.
Summertime is one of the most popular seasons to BBQ with friends and family. Whether it’s grilling at your local park or in your backyard, gathering with friends and family on a sunny day always is a memorable event. What makes a BBQ party great? We give simple suggestions of how to create a party you and your guests will remember!
We bet you’ve wondered how car insurance premiums are calculated. Do you ever have discussions with friends of similar age and driving history and find you’re all paying very different premiums for what would appear to be similar coverage?
Planning a wedding or a special event can seem like a full-time job. Between determining your guest list, vendors, food choices and the small details, there is so much to consider to make your dream wedding or event perfect. The last thing you think about is having an insurance policy for your special event. A special events insurance policy acts as your protection from a myriad of claims that might occur on your big day and can even include cancellation or postponement of the event so your deposits are protected.
The United States is known world-wide for having amazing National Parks. There are 59 National Parks scattered throughout our beautiful country, with fourteen being considered UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS). Whether you are a nature lover or enjoy traveling, here are the top five most visited National Parks around the country.
Many of you may have noticed that the auto insurance industry seems to be continually increasing premiums. While Carr’s Insurance Agency represents many of the top insurance companies in the country and we can quote you with several companies, the trend for premiums is up. There are many reasons why this is happening and it is important for you to understand.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a vehicle is stolen every 44 seconds in the United States. Having your vehicle stolen is not only a huge inconvenience, but it is also frightening and violating experience that can sometimes be avoided by taking certain precautions.
Mail theft is an unfortunate reality in most of the country. Thieves drive around during the mid-day and night time looking for mail that has not yet been picked up. What are they looking for? Gift cards, credit card applications, and utility bills – pretty much anything that would allow them to steal your identity.
Our children quickly become the most important parts of our lives and our dreams suddenly become the dreams of our children. As we look at our own childhoods, we see the seemingly endless shenanigans we caused and while most of these things were harmless, they could be looked at now as liability concerns or outright against the law. In nearly all states, parents are solely responsible for the actions of their children. Not only property damages, but also personal injury that may be caused.