If you find great enjoyment in food (I’ve met few who don’t fit this description), take some time to read the eleventh chapter of the book of Leviticus. The writer goes into great detail regarding the purity and impurity of a variety of foods. More than just quaint legalism, some of these Hebrew “laws” probably saved more than a few lives. Today we have modern methods of food preservation, preparation, and storage. In addition, we’ve all been schooled in the importance of hand washing and proper clean-up when working with fresh foods.
According to the Food and Drug administration, an estimated 76 million cases of food-borne illness occur annually, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths - meaning that roughly 13 men, women and children die every day because of food-borne illness. This is an estimate, because many cases of gastrointestinal illness are treated at home, without being seen by a doctor. “If you have used your kitchen sponge longer than two or three days … it is swimming with millions of bacteria, more specifically, E. coli, salmonella, or campylobacter … that means that any time you use the sponge to wipe up a surface you are potentially spreading those pathogens.” (Elizabeth Scott, co-director of the Simmons Center for Hygiene and Health in the Home, Simmons College, Boston) UGH!! Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona states that a home’s highest levels of contamination are found in areas which remain damp: the kitchen sponge or dishcloth, kitchen and bath sink drains, and the kitchen faucet handle.
What to do?
· Wash your hands in hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before food prep and wash them again after touching raw foods (including vegetables).
· Kill bacteria from your sponge by microwaving the damp sponge on high for one minute – every day. Do not microwave a dry sponge – it might catch fire!
· Launder (in bleach) or microwave dishcloths regularly (while damp also!).
· Even plastic cutting boards are not 100% safe. 90% of bacteria will die in the dishwasher, but play it safe, wash the board in hot soapy water (or dishwasher) and in addition, rinse them with a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in one quart of water.
· Your kitchen sink drain, disposal and connecting pipe are often overlooked. They should be sanitized periodically by pouring down the sink, a solution of 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach in 1 quarter of water.
· Make sure the water in your dishwasher is hotter than 140 degrees or bacteria will survive. Water lower than that temperature may actually spread bacterial contamination to other items in the dishwasher.
So the cleanest of kitchens, might turn out to be the dirtiest – especially if you wipe the counters often – you might be spreading bacteria in the process. In a University of Arizona study, the “cleanest kitchens were those of bachelors who never wiped up and just put the dirty dishes in the sink – go figure!”
Jackie Hoover, Parish Nurse