It is that time of year for picnics and cookouts. Summer is also a time when there is an increase in the number of people who get sick from food poisoning. Food poisoning can be dangerous and can cause chills, stomach cramps, fatigue, vomiting and other symptoms.  There are steps you can take to keep your food safe and prevent food poisoning.

You can keep your food safe by avoiding the spread of foodborne illness when cooking, preparing or even buying food.

To prevent bacteria forming in your food, follow these four steps: clean, separate, cook and chill.

Clean: remember to always wash your hands and properly wash your greens, produce and utensils before cooking
Separate: always make sure your raw and cooked foods are far away from each other
Cook: when cooking your food, make sure it is brought to the appropriate temperature and continues to stay at a proper temperature until ready to eat
Chill: fresh foods should always be placed in the fridge right away and leftovers should not be left out

To learn more about food safety and how you can prevent food poisoning join the Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Medical Center Health and Wellness Library for a panel discussion event on Food Safety via Zoom on Thursday, July 29 at noon. To learn more or to register for the program, please visit: https://vcu.libcal.com/event/7751662

The Health and Wellness Library located on the ground floor of the VCU Health Gateway building provides patients, their family members, and community members with free, reliable health information about food safety.

For more information about food poisoning or other health conditions, visit us on the ground floor of the VCU Health Gateway Building in room G-112, or follow us on Facebook.