Food Poisoning

Approximately 76 million cases of food-borne disease occur each year in U.S. recognized food-borne diseases caused by salmonella and campylobacter. Together, these bacteria cause 80 percent of the illnesses and 75 percent of the deaths, associated with Seafood, meat and poultry products.

Aaron Ormond, a microbiologist and director of research at Global Food Technologies, a company that produces technology instrumental to food safety said "...roperly treated seafood and poultry, and a little food safety know-how, consumers can greatly decrease their chances of dangerous food contamination".

• Check color, odor and texture of the meal
• Check the package. Be sure to avoid products that have outlived their "sell-by" dates or have dents or tears in their packaging.
• Avoid cross-contamination. Wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap before and after handling raw meat and seafood.
• Store at right temperature. When cooking poultry, breasts cooked at 170 degrees, chicken or turkey at 180 degrees.