"Fat Tom" teaches about food bacteria

How many of us has smelled a gallon of milk to determine if it's drinkable?

The Centers For Disease Control estimates food borne disease causes about 76 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths a year.

You can get more than 200 known diseases through food and those who get sick most often are probably the ones who don't think they will, about ages 20 to 49.

So, before you go eating another sandwich you left in the office refrigerator last week, let us introduce "Fat Tom." Fat Tom can teach us a lot about what's good to eat.

Only Tom isn't a person--it's an acronym that stands for Food, Acid, Time, Temperature, Oxygen and Moisture: FAT TOM.

Chef Don Averso set up a crash course in food safety for us at Tidewater Community College using Fat Tom to teach.

"If you can manipulate one of these areas you have a better chance of controlling the growth of bacteria on your food, and its the bacteria that make you sick," he said.

He told us bacteria like food high in protein best, like chicken. Bacteria does not like acidic food,
so, pickles, peppers,olives, anything in a brine, can be left out for hours.

Same with beef jerky or vacuum packed foods, where the oxygen and moisture are taken out.
For everything else, beware of the danger zone.

"The temperature danger zone is 40 to 140 degrees," he said.

Thats where bacteria grows. The cold air in a refrigerator or freezer prevents it, while cooking to 165 degrees kills it. When eating or entertaining, watch the clock. If food is sitting out more than four hours, toss it.

Four is also the maximum number of days you should keep leftovers, or anything pre-packed that you open, like lunch meat.

"Once you open it the clock starts ticking, and you have to treat it like a leftover," Averso said.

As for those dated products, unless it says use by, it's a sell by date. Averso says those foods should be used within four days of the sell by date.