Food Safety

What's lurking on your desktop?

Are you one of the 83 percent of Americans that eat lunch and snacks at your desk? Sure this may save you time and money but it could also be making you sick.  

The 2011 Desktop Dining Survey from the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods home food safety collaboration found that 50 percent of those responding to the survey did not wash their hands before eating lunch at work. Only 36 percent reported cleaning their desk or work area on a weekly basis. This is a recipe for the spread of bacteria and viruses into your food supply.  A University of Arizona study found that your desktop is likely to have 100 times more bacteria than your kitchen table. 

Take these steps to assure your desktop dining does not turn into a disaster:

• Wash your hands and surfaces before dining. It’s best to use soap and water but if convenience is what you are after, keep a container of moist towelettes in your desk drawer. Use these to wipe down your hands and other surfaces.
• Refrigerate any perishable foods you bring to the office. Check the office refrigerator to be sure it is between 32- 40 degrees. If no refrigeration is available, pack foods in an insulated bag with an ice pack. Packing a frozen bottle of water with your lunch will also help keep things cool and be thawed out by time you are ready to drink it. 
•  Heat microwave meals and leftovers to 165 degrees.You can be assured bacteria are destroyed at this temperature.

References

American Dietetic Association & Con Agra Foods. Home food safety. Accessed Oct. 13, 2011 from: http://homefoodsafety.org.

Author: Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern and American Dietetic Association Spokesperson

Created: Oct. 13, 2011