Do cooking and refrigeration eliminate the risk of foodborne illness?
No, but they are an important part of proper food handling and preparation practices. All pathogens may not be destroyed during cooking, and properly cooked foods can be recontaminated if they are not handled properly. Foods that will be consumed raw, such a produce, may be contaminated during production and distribution or through cross contamination during preparation. Although refrigeration limits the growth of many pathogens, some pathogens can multiply at refrigeration temperatures. Others do not increase in food but they survive until they reach the human host. If foods are stored under conditions that are too warm, pathogen growth may be enhanced. For food safety, refrigerators should be maintained at 40 F or cooler. If food looks and smells ok, how can it still make me sick? The microorganisms that cause a food to appear spoiled are different from the foodborne pathogens that make people sick. Spoilage microorganisms are rarely pathogenic. In fact, spoiled food may be less like
