by VIRGINIA SOLE-SMITH photos KATHRYN GAMBLE
produced by MEREDITH DRUMMOND and JEAN NORMAN
It’s so basic:
A healthy kitchen
starts with safe
food. Here’s what
you can do to
protect yourself
and your family.
You know the headlines:
Food-borne diseases
from bacteria such as
Campylobacter, E. coli,
and salmonella now
cause
7 6
million people
to fall ill each year. And
while several govern-
ment agencies play a role
in monitoring our food,
most of what we eat
hasn’t been tested before
it reaches our plates. “ It
takes a long time for
problems to be discov-
ered,” explains Donna
Rosenbaum, executive
director of Safe Tables
Our Priority, an advocacy
group. “And even then,
the government doesn’t
have the authority to
initiate a food recall—
they have to convince
the companies involved
to do it themselves.” But
there is good news: You
can avoid most food-
borne illness by taking
easy, everyday precau-
tions when you cook—
and most are as simple as
washing your hands.
M E S A N D G A R D E N S
APRIL 2010 2 3 5
