HHS HealthBeat (December 09, 2008)

No holiday treat

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Especially around now, between working and holiday shopping, there isn’t as much time for meal-preparing. Things get grabbed out of the fridge, popped into the microwave, nuked for a while – and we eat them.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Raj Mody says that’s a good way to raise your risk of food poisoning. He notes some microwavable frozen foods require full cooking.

Mody cites a 41-state epidemic of salmonella food poisoning that stemmed largely from people microwaving pot pies that required full cooking.

``It’s important to read the packaging of these products to determine whether or not they require full cooking or if they just need to be warmed up. Follow the cooking instructions carefully.’’ (10 seconds)

If it is microwavable, know your microwave’s wattage and follow the cooking instructions accordingly.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

Last revised: December, 09 2008