Many people each year get sick from food poisoning.  Excluding those who eat and get sick from restaurant food, a number of people are contracting some type of illness from the food they bring home from the grocery store. But did you know that not everyone really traces back their illness to how they shop for their food? They probably think that the food itself was bad when in actuality; it could be the process of shopping itself.  Keep these shopping tips in mind when shopping for food at the supermarket:

1.  Leave the perishables for last.  Pick up your canned and prepackaged foods first.  Inspect the packaging for any tears, rips, dents or cracks.  You should only buy canned food and jars that are unblemished.  Dented cans, bulging tops on jars and cracks in packaging can signal potential breeding grounds for bacteria. 

2.  Take those expiration dates to heart.  Don’t buy anything that is beyond the expiration date like dairy products, medications and meat.  Choose the packaging that offers the expiration date that will stay fresh the longest when you store it at home.

3.  Utilize the paper towels and available plastic bags that are near the meat poultry case.  They often have juices that drip from the packaging.  Most raw meats can make you sick; therefore, keep them from dripping on your other groceries and put them in a plastic bag and place them in a separate area in your shopping cart. 

4.  Eggs can be hazardous to your health if you do not inspect them.  Open up the egg carton and make sure that the eggs are not cracked.  Likewise, make sure that they have been stored in a cool, refrigerated area.  And never buy any eggs that have not been cleaned.

5.  When buying frozen meats and seafood, dig below the frost line of the freezer.  Sometimes, the packages sitting on the top might have defrosted a bit and then refrozen due to customers constantly opening and closing freezer doors.  Also, do not buy anything where the packaging has been damaged or opened.

6.  If you plan to buy fresh meat or seafood from the butcher’s display case, ensure that they buy from reputable sources. You don’t want to find out that they bought their shrimp from Bubba on the side of the road.

7.  When purchasing items from a salad bar area, make sure that the items are properly refrigerated and displayed properly.  In addition, you don’t want’ cross contamination, so make sure that the sushi is not mingling with the salad greens and so forth.

8.  Pick up your ice cream and other milk products as the last part of your grocery shopping trip.  Make sure you keep them segregated from your meats and prepackaged goods. Picking up your cold and frozen items last will ensure that they do no get warm and spoil.

9.  By the same token, if you are planning to buy any hot foods from the deli section of the supermarket, be sure to save that for last too.  This will give the food less time to cool off by the time you get it home.

10.  After your shopping trip, head straight home to put your food items away.  If you plan to make a stop or two afterwards or you live more than thirty minutes away, plan to bring a cooler with you with ice packs to keep your cold and frozen foods from spoiling. 

Protecting yourself and your family from food poisoning is fairly easy when you follow the above listed tips.  Of course, that is only half the battle.  You must also employ some basic safety rules similar to those listed above when preparing your meals as well. 

 

Related posts:

1. Smart Shopping Tips when Trolling the Food Markets
2. Food Gifts Can Make Recipients Drool
3. Just Say No to Grocery Stores and Yes to Online Food Shopping
4. Shopping Pros and Cons of Choosing Generic over the Name Brand in the Grocery Store
5. Smart Tips to Make the Most Out of your Warehouse Shopping Trip

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