Recently there have been headlines about salmonella-contaminated turkey meat.
At least one person died and dozens were sickened before any announcement was made warning consumers.
The FDA, due to court rulings and other influences, cannot aggressively combat products infected with salmonella or e coli. Bottom line: Don't depend on the government to assure the food you are eating won't sicken or kill you.
I queried the three major kosher certifying agencies - OU, OK, Star-K - and the very best kosher authority I know, Arlene J. Mathes-Scharf, Food Scientist - Kosher Food Specialist and creator of Kashrut.com. asking if the certifying agencies checked for salmonella and e coli.
In each case, the response was: No, they leave that to the feds.
As it happens, none of the infected turkey meat was certified kosher.
While those Jews who "keep kosher" were safe from cattle infected with the so called "Mad Cow Disease," it was not due to inspection of the meat but do to kosher slaughtering laws, Biet Yosef for Sefardim.
Understanding that a kosher label is no guarantee that the product is safe to consume, how can the consumer protect himself and his family?
When it comes to meat, the primary safety measure is to COOK THE MEAT THROUGHLY. Use a meat thermometer to check the inside temperature of the meat being cooked. Proper temperatures can be found in many cook books and by searching the World Wide Web.
Wash hands and utensils after every contact with meat and before contact with a different meat or a non-meat product. Carefully clean all surfaces on which meat has lain.
But, you say, you gave up meat. Bravo, but you're still not safe.
Dairy products must be kept cold; set the refrigerator to 32-to-40F and the freezer to 0F. If the dairy product is cooked - as a pasta meal - once the food has cooled from the stove, move it back into the refrigerator.
The "final word" on food safety comes from the FDA - while it cannot guarantee the food we buy is safe, it CAN help assure its safety is not further compromised in our kitchens - is at http://www.foodsafety.gov/.
