Preventing food poisoning is essential if you are to keep your family’s health at its optimum. As a parent, you have to be aware of the things that can cause of food poisoning so that you can protect yourself and your children from the dangers of contaminated food. Described below are the common practices and processes which increase the risk of food contamination.

Food production. The process by which food is grown affects its quality even before it reaches the retailers and your home. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers (for produce), hormones (for poultry and livestock) and other things used during the food growing process can all potentially contaminate food. It is best to buy organic food items to lessen your risk of purchasing tainted food, and buying locally-produced ones will help you just in case you want to see for yourself how manufacturers grow their products.

Processing the food. Biological contaminants like bacteria and parasitic organisms, as well as chemical contaminants can taint food whether it is processed in big, commercial factories or in home-based industries. Manufacturers should be meticulous about cleanliness especially when handling the innards of animal products, as they usually harbor harmful microorganisms.

Food preparation. Proper food preparation is critical to ensure that you don’t cross contaminate your food items. For example, you should never use a chopping board used for cutting raw meat to prepare your vegetables. You should also make sure that you wash your hands ever so often when preparing food, especially if you are handling meat products or items which have been used by a sick individual. Keep your kitchen clean and safe from pests like cockroaches and rats. However, you also have to make certain that your cleaning products do not have harmful chemicals which can also contaminate your food. Choose safe and natural cleaning solutions like BabyGanics, which is free from toxic synthetic chemicals.

Storage and re-heating. You might be accidentally cross-contaminating your food by incorrectly storing them in your fridge. For example, you shouldn’t let raw meat sit side by side with your salad greens. When refrigerating food, make sure that it’s already cool to avoid warming the other foods around it and creating a good environment for germs to grow. When putting food in the microwave to warm, reheat it for at least 30 seconds at 165˚ F.