After recent news reporting women multitask more often than men, this is a warning for workers partaking in “desktop dining” or consuming lunch while working at their office desk.
Those who “desktop dine” have an increased risk of food poisoning due to the bacteria mixing among their in/out box, keyboard and family photo. So when was the last time you sanitized and cleaned off your desk along with all your belongings on it?
When you lay a tuna sandwich on the CD you used months ago for a Powerpoint presentation, realize that as a midday multitasker, you are probably in the majority of office employees. Sixty-two percent of Americans regularly eat lunch at their desks, a survey by the American Dietetic Association and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Safety program said. As most Americans also eat breakfasts on-the-go and midday snacks, you can see a hygiene problem.
A press release from the ADA on August 23, 2011, said that a University of Arizona study found that the typical desk has 100 times the bacteria and germs of a kitchen table and 400 times that of a toilet seat.
But are we concerned about this cleanliness issue? Thirty-six percent of participants on the ADA/ConAgra questionnaire said they clean their work area (desktop, keyboard and mouse) weekly and 64 percent clean it once a month or less.
To prevent sickness that is food-related, “Treat your desktop like you would your kitchen table and counters at home,” said Toby Smithson, an ADA spokeswoman and registered dietitian. It is also beneficial to modify other parts of your lunch schedule.
Here is a checklist:
- Clean all parts of your desk and other countertops before you prepare or consume food on them.
- Within one to two hours of preparing food, put your lunch in the office fridge. Ask the building supervisors how often the fridge is cleaned and if the temperature is below 40 degrees.
- Follow packaging instructions to make sure frozen meals have no cold patches when microwaving them. Understand that leftovers must be warmed up to 165 degrees to eliminate bacteria.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before you prepare food.
Foodborne illnesses can make people extremely sick. Diseases from food determined by the Centers for Disease Control can happen in many ways, but if the viral agents, bacteria or parasites get into your digestive tract, they can lead to symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. One in six Americans gets ill each year from contaminated foods and beverages, the CDC said.
Whether you are at the office or away, be sure to consider food safety rules, which the CDC groups under the headings Cook, Separate, Chill and Clean. This means, cook meat, poultry and eggs all the way. Do not let raw meat and poultry to come into contact with other foods. Put leftovers in the refrigerator immediately. Wash fruits and vegetables well, and wash your hands when touching and handling food.
Take pleasure in your lunchtime, but maybe step away from your desk and eat somewhere more clean.
Resources:
“Is Your Desk Making You Sick? New Survey Finds Desktop Dining Poses Food Poisoning Risk.” American Dietetic Association/EatRight.org. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. http://www.eatright.org/Media/content.aspx?id=6442464916
“Questions and Answers about Foodborne Illness.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/facts.html
Reviewed December 5, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith