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Many cases of botulism are preventable. Foodborne botulism has often been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn and is caused by failure to follow proper canning methods. However, seemingly unlikely or unusual sources are found every decade, with the common problem of improper handling during manufacture, at retail, or by consumers; some examples are chopped garlic in oil, canned cheese sauce, chile peppers, tomatoes, carrot juice, and baked potatoes wrapped in foil. In Alaska, foodborne botulism is caused by fermented fish and other aquatic game foods. Persons who do home canning should follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce contamination of foods, and carefully follow instructions on safe home canning including the use of pressure canners/cookers as recommended through county extension services or from the US Department of Agriculture. Oils infused with garlic or herbs should be refrigerated. Potatoes which have been baked while wrapped in aluminum foil should be kept hot until served or refrigerated. Because the botulinum toxin is destroyed by high temperatures, persons who eat home-canned foods should consider boiling the food for 10 minutes before eating it to ensure safety. Wound botulism can be prevented by promptly seeking medical care for infected wounds and by not using injectable street drugs. Most infant botulism cases cannot be prevented because the bacteria that causes this disease is in soil and dust. The bacteria can be found inside homes on floors, carpet, and countertops even after cleaning. Honey can contain the bacteria that causes infant botulism so, children less than 12 months old should not be fed honey. Honey is safe for persons 1 year of age and older."
"Is it safe to use food from dented cans?
If a can containing food has a small dent, but is otherwise in good shape, the food should be safe to eat. Discard deeply dented cans. A deep dent is one that you can lay your finger into. Deep dents often have sharp points. A sharp dent on either the top or side seam can damage the seam and allow bacteria to enter the can. Discard any can with a deep dent on any seam."
There are other dangerous Clostridia: Clostridium tetani, which causes tetanus, and Clostridium perfringens, which can cause food poisoning and, when it contaminates a wound, gas gangrene. Clostridium difficile can cause severe colitis.
Sorry about that - I am aware of the difference, so I must not have been paying attention when I was writing! The Clostridia are a nasty genus indeed, and fairly ubiquitous in distribution.
How many of you will continue to go to social potlucks and eat food from people who you don't know personally?
I always bring some amazing and delicious dish to the Potluck. I just eat what I bring
I have always been leery of potlucks. I don't know how meticulous people are, I don't know where they purchase their food. I always use top ingredients.
And besides, we are a Nation of overweight people. It just encourages people to overeat. So that is another reason I stay away from them.
How many of you will continue to go to social potlucks and eat food from people who you don't know personally?
I actually have never eaten other people's food for decades. I also eat at very few restaurants just because I like my own food and not overseasoned food or package processed stuff even the "sauces". (yeah I do eat Wendy's or McD or Subway because I'm in my car all day long so some days I get desperate LOL)
It all started watching pot lucks at my office of >80 people.
Getting to know their habits and watching them lick their fingers in between slicing the pepperoni LOL. NO I didn't particularly think I was going to get a disease or infectious hepatitis but it was just ewwwww, gurl!
AND I'm a pet sitter in other people's homes.
One of my BEST clients who has a gorgeous home and spends a fortune told me "Don't lower the temp in the fridge I don't like it too cold". This was when I called her to notify her the fridge was warm and I put a thermometer in there and it was in the HIGH 40's LOL!
To each their own but my body is NOT USED to thawing meat on a counter all day long, eating tasteless food that is dated TWO SUMMERS AGO in your freezer (WTH), or rancid olive oil or leaving your dairy out all day then putting it back in the fridge all innocent like HAHAHA.
I had food poisoning ONCE from a restaurant and was sick nonstop for THREE DAYS. Like laying on the bathroom floor unable to MOVE, sick. I was in a hotel and SHOULD have probably gone to a hospital but I was young and didn't know better.
My ex wife used to cook for potlucks and stuff like that. You should have seen her putting the cooked chicken right back where the raw chicken had been. And letting the kids help with their filthy hands.
She was good hearted sort, but sanitary food handling wasn't her strong point.
My ex wife used to cook for potlucks and stuff like that. You should have seen her putting the cooked chicken right back where the raw chicken had been. And letting the kids help with their filthy hands.
She was good hearted sort, but sanitary food handling wasn't her strong point.
I have always been leery about eating food cooked by people I don't know, starting when I was about 12 years old and went to "meet and greet" at church with my parents. I would eat the food my mom brought and food that select other people we knew brought. Some people are just filthy. Some people don't care if their cats walk all over their counters. Some people use the bathroom and don't wash. Some people stir a pot and take a taste and put the spoon back in (ewwwwww). Some people lick their fingers (ewwww). They think nothing of it because that's just what they do. I'm not eating their food.
I am meticulous about food handling and preparation, for my own family and otherwise. I wash my hands before and during food preparation. I wash the sinks before I start, even if they are already clean. My hair is pulled back. Everything is clean. If I use a dish with raw meat on it, I immediately wash it, put it in the dishwasher, and wash the sink/counter again before anything else comes in contact with it.
I thought it was from someone canning their own food and using that canned food in a recipe. Why would the botulism just pop up in a closed can of food that you buy from the grocery store??
I don't like potlucks. There has been too many threads on CD about people who don't think they have to bathe every day. I don't want to eat their food.
LMAO How silly.
Are you sure every chef at every restaurant you go to bathes every day? The horror!!!
My mom ended up in the hospital after a pot luck. To this day I avoid those things like the plague.
Friends of mine got sick from a bad batch of V8 juice. I still drink it. I don't understand this mindset of never doing something ever again because something happened to someone once.
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You can get sick at restaurants and banquets too.
To this day I avoid those things like the plague.
