(article, Culinate staff)
A recent Associated Press report noted that most home kitchens would probably flunk restaurant health inspections. Based on an online survey conducted in Los Angeles County, at least one in seven home kitchens would probably be shut down by their local health departments. bq. \[In the survey\] people are asked, for example, if their refrigerator temperature is 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, whether raw meat is stored below other foods on refrigerator shelves, and whether fruits and vegetables are always thoroughly rinsed before they are eaten. As the AP article noted, "an estimated 87 million cases of food-borne illness occur in the United States each year, including 371,000 hospitalizations and 5,700 deaths." And our dirty kitchens are partly to blame: bq. Many outbreaks that receive publicity are centered on people who got sick after eating at a restaurant, catered celebration, or large social gathering. In this summer's outbreak linked to salmonella in eggs, several illnesses were first identified in clusters among restaurant patrons. But experts believe the bulk of food poisonings are unreported illnesses from food prepared at home.