Food Borne Illness

For most of us cleaning out the fridge only happens when we start to see blue fuzz on food, a carton of milk that expired 2 weeks ago, or a strange smell lingers when we open the refrigerator door. It is lower on our cleaning priority list as it’s literally always behind closed doors. There are at least 30 bacteria, parasites and viruses known to cause food-borne illness.

These are called pathogens and they grow in our fridge and contaminate our food, the plastic in our fridge, the rubber seal and go beyond in a much more serious way. According to Health Canada – Every year, about 4 million (1 in 8) Canadians are affected by a food-borne illness.  Of these, there are about 11,600 hospitalizations and 238 deaths.

To prevent food-borne diseases in your home be sure to regularly do the following:

• Wipe spills, leaks, drips and crumbs as soon as you notice them
• Pay special attention to how long left overs sit – anything over 5 days should not beconsumed!
• Carefully clean corners and under fridge drawers using All Clean Natural heavy duty, or All Purpose surface. Both are disinfectants without a fragrance to ensure your food doesn’t absorb any scents.
• Consistently wipe down door handles, marinating rubs or any other common bottles or containers that are touched frequently.
• Ensure the rubber door seal is always clean and free of moisture, and mold.
• If you can’t seem to shake an odor, place an open container of baking soda or coffee beans in your fridge.

By keeping the refrigerator free of mold and mildew, and ensuring we do not give food-borne pathogens a place to breed will safeguard you and your family of deadly diseases like Listeria, Salmonella and Vibriosis.