With the holiday season fast approaching, consumers and food preparers need to be more aware of the dangers of food- borne diseases like salmonella. Information from the Centers for Disease Control said more than 250 different diseases have been described that can be caused by contaminated food or drink. The most common foodborne diseases are infections caused by bacteria.

The majority of food items that cause foodborne diseases are raw or undercooked foods of animal origin, such as meat, milk, eggs, cheese, fish or shellfish. This includes the traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

Approximately 40,000 cases of salmonella infection are reported to the CDC each year with perhaps as many as 100 times more cases going unreported.

This is an increase from approximately 20,000 cases in the 1960s, the CDC said.

The Purdue Cooperative Extension Service said that for a person to avoid becoming a part of those statistics during the holiday season, turkeys should always be thawed in the refrigerator. For each five pounds of turkey, a person should plan on 24 hours of thawing.

A smaller bird can be thawed in the microwave as long as it is cooked immediately upon thawing. The goal is to keep the turkey cool at all times. If the turkey becomes warm, there is a chance for bacteria growth.

It is recommended that the oven temperature be at least 325 degrees. An unstuffed bird should cook for 15 to 18 minutes per pound. A stuffed turkey should bake for 18 to 24 minutes per pound, the Extension office said.

Besides turkey preparation, other foods need to be careful cooked, heated or made to avoid foodborne bacterial diseases during Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as during the rest of the year.

CDC suggested four ways to prevent foodborne diseases.

First, a person should make sure that the food from animal sources is thoroughly cooked or pasteurized. A person should avoid eating such foods raw or undercooked.

Second, be careful to keep juices or drippings from raw meat, poultry, shellfish or eggs from contaminating other foods.

Third, wash hands, utensils and cutting boards with soap and water immediately after they come in contact with raw foods of animal origin and before they touch any other foods.

Finally, a person should not leave potentially contaminated foods for extended periods of time at temperatures that permit bacteria to grow. Leftovers and foods prepared in advanced should be promptly refrigerated. When preparing large meals for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, food preparers should try to time their food so that one dish is not prepared sooner than the others.

Cooking kills almost all foodborne bacteria, viruses and parasites and is the single most important step in preventing foodborne disease, the CDC said.

Even with the different ways that people can prevent foodborne diseases, people still fail to do so. CDC said approximately 400 to 500 foodborne disease outbreaks are reported each year. Not all outbreaks or diseases are equally likely to be reported and many cases of foodborne diseases are sporadic.

There are other reasons for high numbers of foodborne disease outbreaks.

One reason for a high number is that the food supply in the United States is changing dramatically. The conditions under which food animals are raised have changed greatly. The United States imports more than 30 billion tons of food each year and the food often comes from developing countries where food hygiene and basic sanitation is less advanced, the CDC information said.

Also, food processing technologies are constantly evolving. The centralization of the food industry means that a single contaminated product may appear in many different foods and forms, therefore infecting a considerable number of people before it is identified.

Second, food consumers are changing. Elderly and immunosuppressed persons who are at higher risk of severe illness are increasing. Consumers spend less time cooking than before and may have received less instruction in food handling at home or school than before.

Third, new and emerging foodborne pathogens have been identified, which can cause diseases unrecognized 50 years ago, the CDC said. Included in the new diseases being recognized are bacteria, parasites and viruses as well as toxic causes of foodborne illnesses.

The CDC doesn't report all bad news about foodborne diseases. The food supply of the United States is probably safer now than ever, the CDC said.

For additional food safety information about meat, poultry or eggs, the public can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 800-535-4555 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. year-round. Information is also available on the USDA website at www.fsis.usda.gov. [[In-content Ad]]