Question

the products of many individual animals, such as bulk raw milk, pooled raw eggs, or ground beef, are particularly hazardous because a pathogen present in any one of the animals may contaminate the whole batch.

5 fruits and vegetables consumed raw are a particular concern. washing can decrease, but not eliminate, contamination, so consumers can do little to protect themselves. recently a number of outbreaks have been traced to fresh fruits and vegetables that were processed under less than sanitary conditions. these outbreaks show that the quality of the water used for washing and chilling the produce after it is harvested is critical. using water that is not clean can contaminate many boxes of produce. fresh manure used to fertilize vegetables can also contaminate them. alfalfa sprouts and other raw sprouts pose a particular challenge, as the conditions under which they are sprouted are ideal for growing microbes as well as sprouts, and because they are eaten without further cooking. that means that a few bacteria present on the seeds can grow to high numbers of pathogens on the sprouts. unpasteurized fruit juice can also be contaminated, if there are pathogens in or on the fruit that is used to make it.

what can consumers do to protect themselves from food-borne illness?

6 a few simple precautions can reduce the risk of food - born diseases:

7 cook: meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat is a good way to be sure that it is cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria. for example, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. eggs should be cooked until the yolks are firm.

8 separate: dont cross - contaminate one food with another. avoid cross - contaminating foods by washing hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food. put cooked meat on a clean platter, rather back on one that held the raw meat.

9 chill: refrigerate leftovers promptly. bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature, so refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be eaten within 4 hours. large volumes of food will cool more quickly if they are divided into several shallow containers for refrigeration.

10 clean: wash produce. rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime. remove and discard the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage. because bacteria can grow well on...

Explanation:

The text is about food safety and how consumers can protect themselves from food - borne illness. It provides precautions like cooking food thoroughly, separating different foods to avoid cross - contamination, chilling leftovers promptly, and cleaning produce. This topic is related to health and food safety, which falls under the subfield of Medicine and Health in Natural Science as it deals with preventing illness related to food consumption.

Answer:

Consumers can protect themselves from food - borne illness by taking the following precautions:

1. COOK: Thoroughly cook meat, poultry, and eggs. Use a thermometer to ensure meat is cooked to a sufficient temperature (e.g., ground beef to 160 degrees, eggs until yolks are firm).
2. SEPARATE: Avoid cross - contaminating foods. Wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards after contact with raw meat/poultry and before touching other foods. Put cooked meat on a clean platter.
3. CHILL: Refrigerate leftovers promptly (within 4 hours if not eating soon). Divide large volumes of food into shallow containers for quicker cooling.
4. CLEAN: Wash produce (rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water, discard outermost leaves of lettuce/cabbage).