One in four Americans comes down with some kind of illness linked to contaminated food each year. Make sure you’re not one of them with these savvy shopping tips on how to buy the freshest groceries and store them quickly:
Do a quick once-over
Your supermarket should be clean, and there shouldn’t be any torn or broken packages or loads of perishables in the aisles waiting to be put away. If you’re concerned about cleanliness, ask the store manager to show you grocery-inspection results. Most supermarkets are inspected two to three times a year by county health departments, although inspection standards may vary state by state.
Shop in order
Start with nonperishables, then pick up produce, dairy, frozen foods, meat and poultry, and prepared foods. The goal is to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible, so foods don’t have time to thaw or get too warm. Leave a space in the cart for meat and poultry, so it won’t be on top of other foods—and keep children away from packages of chicken, meat, seafood, and other raw or unwashed foods.
Check labels
Look for “Sell-by” and “Use by” dates. Past-prime products do make it onto shelves, so be aware; sometimes fresher stuff is in the back. If the date looms, make sure to use the product quickly or freeze it. On bagged salad, it’s believed that E. coli can grow more rapidly in greens that are old and decomposing, so checking the dates is imperative.
No bruising allowed
Skip produce that has punctured or bruised skin, or torn or partially thawed frozen-food packages; they’re an invitation for bacteria.
Beware the bag
Convenience is great. But, to date, the overwhelming majority of foodborne illnesses from leafy greens have been from packaged products, says Rebecca Spector, West Coast director of the nonprofit Center for Food Safety. “Perhaps it’s because the products go through more processing steps—including using machinery and people to cut, wash, and bag the produce—thus opening more risks of contamination,” she says. Buy produce in its unprocessed form, wash and dry thoroughly, and use within a few days.
Temperature matters
Produce should be displayed in open cases that are periodically misted. Milk and meat should be kept below 40 degrees F, and preferably at 35 degrees. Be aware that items crowded or stacked too high in a dairy case may not be as cold as they should
be for maximum freshness. Go for the product in the back.
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Comments (9)
I hope this article is not a surprise to anyone.
How about placing hand sanitizers at the entrance and exit of every store to cut down on bacteria and germs that brought in and picked up…..
Sanitizer wipes are put at all entrances and exits in PULBIX grocery stores in south Florida.
Having plastic bags in the meat section should be standard. You wouldn’t believe how many stores don’t do that and picking up a dripping container of raw chicken isn’t the cleanest thing.
this is a great information especially to regular consumer like us! THanks for the sharing.
regards,
http://www.allquickeasyrecipes.com
I think the supermarkets, should teach the baggers and cashiers not to put chicken with other meats, coldcuts etc. each should go into a separate plastic bag to avoid cross contamination. I find that they are in too much of a hurry and toss things that shouldn’t be together in the same bag. This is a real turnoff, a watchful eye is not only needed when items are rung up but how they are being packed.
Iused to work at wal-mart,as a cashir.
why cant the cashirs clean the convear-belts,when there not busy.i allway’s did.
there are seeds & dirt, crumbs under the
stations, some times mice running around,
its seldom cleaned there. every one exspects some one aus to clean, and things dont get done. on the surface it
looks fine.
When I worked as a checkout clerk in a grocery store, we were required to wash our conveyor belts as soon as we had a moment free.
I’ve also been concerned about frozen, fresh and dairy “shop-backs”, where people abandon these items at the register (or worse, in the middle of the aisle!) and they don’t get put back into their environment soon enough. So when I shop, especially frozen, I’ll feel the bag to see if it feels lumpy like it’s been thawed and refrozen again. I’ll usually take a bag from under the top two, figuring it would probably not be one that was “thrown back”. :)
Another way food is contaminated in supermarkets is when they place chemicals such as washing powders, pool chemicals, pesticides next to food. The food takes on the taste and smell of the chemicals which is harmful to our health. The way supermarkets store foods and chemicals should be seriously looked at.