Leaving food out can make you sick, especially in the hot days of summer
You can’t smell the food you left on the counter for two hours? That doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat. In fact, something could be very, very wrong.
Got food that’s slimy or smelly?, Caitlin Dow asks in Nutrition Action.
“That’s due to spoilage bacteria,” explains Maribel Alonso, a technical information specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
You probably left the food out of the refrigerator too long (see chart in the Nutrition Action story) and, even though you can’t smell anything, the bad bacteria are having a field day.
“Listeria typically grows on deli meats, smoked fish, and prepared foods,” Alonso notes. “It’s responsible for listeriosis, the hard-to-diagnose infection that can cause miscarriage in pregnant women and symptoms like fever, diarrhea, headache, and stiff neck.”
And don’t assume reheating will kill the bacteria, she warns
“If you don’t put leftovers away within two hours after cooking, toss them. And if you’re outside and it’s warmer than 90 degrees, food needs to be refrigerated within one hour.”
