The Home Food Safety MBA
(Mastery of the "Mealtime Balancing Act"!)
7 Steps for Highly Effective Mealtime Multitasking
Keep Your Cool.
Of the nearly half of working Americans who bring a
packed lunch from home, almost one in four say they
do not store their lunch in a refrigerator or cooler when
they get to work. With sometimes up to six hours passing
between the time lunches are packed at home until they are
eaten, this is definitely not a healthy habit! Be the boss
of your brown
bag and make sure to store it in a refrigerator (set below
40°F)
as
soon as you get to work. Or, pack your lunch in an insulated
lunch bag
or cooler - and throw in a frozen ice pack to ensure the
safety of
perishable foods.
Always Be Prepared.
For the 30 percent of mealtime
multitaskers who dine while driving, handheld foods are the way
to go. According to the survey, fast
food tops the list of portable favorites (55
percent), followed by candy (34 percent),
chips/crackers (33 percent), granola/energy
bars (24 percent) and meat/cheese sandwiches
(16 percent). If you're a frequent in-car diner,
be sure to keep a supply of moist towelettes or
bottles of hand sanitizer close by so you can
clean up quickly before digging in.
Make a Clean Break Between Tasks.
Survey results show men who multitask while preparing
meals are more likely to occupy their time watching TV,
working on the computer or reading the newspaper,
while women typically combine meal preparation with
washing dishes, talking on the phone and cleaning the refrigerator or kitchen. But according to the survey, nearly
a third
of these mealtime multitaskers do not regularly wash their
hands
between activities while preparing food. Since handwashing
is the
easiest way to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria, take
time to
lather up between household tasks.
Follow the Rules.
Watching TV is the preferred activity for more than nine out
of 10 Americans who say they multitask while eating meals
at home. Next time you roll out the TV tray for dinner,
remember the two hour rule and make sure leftover food
doesn't sit out of refrigeration for longer than two hours
(in hot weather of 90°F or above, this time is reduced
to one hour). For an easy reminder, set a kitchen timer
beforeyou sit down to eat. ADA survey conducted by Impulse
Research, August 2004.
Get the Right Tools for the Job.
According to the ADA survey, nine out of 10 Americans prepare
a main meat dish for dinner often or most of the time.
Next time meat is on your menu, make sure you're fully
equipped to cook it safely. Keep a meat thermometer handy
so you can quickly check to make sure meats are cooked
to a proper internal temperature.
Never Go in "Cold."
If most Americans can't find time
to sit down and eat a meal, odds
are they have trouble making time
to reheat meals, too! If leftovers
are your bag, make sure you reheat
them to an internal temperature of 165 degrees
Fahrenheit to ensure their safety the second
time around - whether you're heating them
up in a microwave or in a conventional oven.
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