10 Smart Shopping Tips To Protect Your Family
From Getting Sick
Prevention of food poisoning starts with your
trip to the supermarket. Here's how to start
off safely.
1. Pick up your packaged and canned foods first.
Buy cans and jars that look perfect. Don't buy
canned goods that are dented, cracked or bulging.
These are the warning signs that dangerous bacteria
may be growing in the can.
2. Look for any expiration dates on the labels
and never buy outdated food. Likewise, check
the "use by" or "sell by" date on dairy products
such as cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt,
and sour cream and pick the ones that will stay
fresh longest in your refrigerator.
3. Check eggs, too. Choose eggs that are refrigerated
in the store. Before putting them in your cart,
open the carton and make sure that the eggs
are clean and none are cracked or broken.
4. Raw meat, poultry, and seafood sometimes
drip. The juices that drip may have germs. Keep
these juices away from other foods. Put raw
meat, poultry, and seafood into plastic bags
before they go into the cart. Separate raw meat,
poultry, and seafood from other foods in your
grocery shopping cart and in your refrigerator.
5. Don't buy frozen seafood if the packages
are open, torn or crushed on the edges. Avoid
packages that are above the frost line in the
store's freezer. If the package cover is transparent,
look for signs of frost or ice crystals. This
could mean that the fish has either been stored
for a long time or thawed and re-frozen.
6. Check for cleanliness at the meat or fish
counter and the salad bar. For instance, cooked
shrimp lying on the same bed of ice as raw fish
could become contaminated.
7. When shopping for shellfish, buy from markets
that get their supplies from state-approved
sources; stay clear of vendors who sell shellfish
from roadside stands or the back of a truck.
And if you're planning to harvest your own shellfish,
heed posted warnings about the water's safety.
8. Pick up milk, frozen foods, and perishables
(meat, poultry, fish) last. Always put these
products in separate plastic bags so that drippings
don't contaminate other foods in your shopping
cart.
9. Drive immediately home from the grocery store.
This will give cold or frozen food less time
to warm up before you get home. If the destination
is farther away than 30 minutes, bring a cooler
with ice or commercial freezing gels from home
and place perishables in it.
10. Save hot chicken and other hot foods for
last, too. This will give them less time to
cool off before you get home.
Copyright � by Terry Nicholls. All Rights Reserved.
About The Author
Terry Nicholls is the author of the eBook "Food
Safety: Protecting Your Family From Food Poisoning".
In addition, he writes from his own experiences
in trying to start his own home-based business.
To benefit from his success, visit
My Home-Based Business Advisor - Helping YOUR
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