Chapter 8 of 8

All 8 chapters
  1. 1The skeleton, readunderstood
  2. 2Joints, readunderstood
  3. 3Muscles move bones, readunderstood
  4. 4Teeth, readunderstood
  5. 5Food groups, readunderstood
  6. 6A balanced diet, readunderstood
  7. 7Exercise and rest, readunderstood
  8. 8Keeping food safe, readunderstood

S2.3.8 Chapter 8

Keeping food safe

How can food that looks fine make me ill?

Your guess

Pick one before you read on. It is fine to be wrong.

Your guess

  • You picked A. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked B. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked C. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

By the end you can

  • Explain how flies and dirty hands carry germs to food
  • Show ways to keep food covered, clean and cool

Food can look fine and still make you ill. Tiny things called germs can be on it.

Germs are tiny things, too small to see. Some of them make you ill.

Germs live in dung and rubbish. Flies land there. Germs stick to their feet.

Then the fly lands on your food. The germs rub off. Now the food has germs on it.

Draw it first

Draw how a fly carries germs

  1. A lump of dung, labelled dung, with a fly on it, labelled fly. An arrow points from the dung to a plate of food, labelled food, where the fly has landed. Tiny dark dots on the food are germs, labelled germs. Labels: dung, fly, food, germs.dungfly

    1 Draw a lump of dung. Draw a fly on it.

  2. A lump of dung, labelled dung, with a fly on it, labelled fly. An arrow points from the dung to a plate of food, labelled food, where the fly has landed. Tiny dark dots on the food are germs, labelled germs. Labels: dung, fly, food, germs.dungfoodfly

    2 Draw an arrow to some food. The fly lands on the food.

  3. A lump of dung, labelled dung, with a fly on it, labelled fly. An arrow points from the dung to a plate of food, labelled food, where the fly has landed. Tiny dark dots on the food are germs, labelled germs. Labels: dung, fly, food, germs.dungfoodflygerms

    3 Draw tiny dots on the food. Write germs.

Hands carry germs too. You touch the ground, animals and the toilet. Germs stay on your hands.

Then you touch food or your mouth. The germs go in.

See it three ways

As a picture

Two boxes joined by an arrow. The box on the left is dotted and labelled dirty hands. The arrow is labelled wash. The box on the right is plain and labelled clean hands. Labels: dirty hands, wash, clean hands.dirty handswashclean hands

In words

Wash your hands with soap and water. Wash before you eat or cook. Wash after the toilet.

Wash like this. Wet your hands. Add soap. Rub all over. Rinse. Dry.

Five steps to wash hands, with arrows between them. First row: wet, soap, rub. Second row: rinse, dry. Labels: wet, soap, rub, rinse, dry.wetsoaprubrinsedry

Soap and water is best. Use wood ash only if you have no soap. Use only cold ash from a fire that is long out. Rub your hands with it. Then rinse them well with clean water.

Keep food covered. Use a lid or a clean cloth. Then flies cannot land on it.

Two plates of food. On the left, labelled open, a fly sits on the food. On the right, labelled covered, a lid is over the food and the fly stays outside. Labels: food, fly, lid, open, covered.foodflyopenlidfoodflycovered

Germs grow fast in warm food. Eat cooked food soon. Never leave it out in the heat for hours.

To keep food for later, keep it cool. Before you eat it, a grown up heats it. It must be very hot all through.

Raw meat and raw fish can carry germs. Keep them away from food you eat as it is. Wash your hands and the board after you touch them. Cook them until they are very hot all through.

Two boxes side by side with a space between them. The left box is dotted and labelled raw meat. The right box is plain and labelled cooked food. Under them is the label keep them apart. Labels: raw meat, cooked food, keep them apart.raw meatcooked foodkeep them apart

No fridge? Try a pot in a pot. Stand a small clay pot inside a bigger one. Fill the space between them with wet sand. Cover the top with a wet cloth.

A big clay pot filled with wet sand, drawn as a dotted box, labelled wet sand. A smaller pot stands inside it, holding food, labelled food. A wet cloth lies across the top, labelled wet cloth. Arrows point up from the cloth, labelled water dries. The label under the pots is two clay pots. Labels: water dries, wet cloth, wet sand, food, two clay pots.water drieswet clothfoodwet sandtwo clay pots
A pot in a pot keeps food cooler.

As the water dries, the pots get cooler. The food stays cooler, but not cold like a fridge. It works best where the air is dry. Keep the pots in the shade. Wet the sand and cloth again each day. Cooked food in it should still be eaten soon.

Four boxes one under the other. They are wash your hands, cover the food, keep it cool, and heat it until very hot. Labels: wash your hands, cover the food, keep it cool, heat it until very hot.wash your handscover the foodkeep it coolheat it until very hot
Four steps keep food safe.

Mould is a fuzzy growth on old food. It is made of tiny living things. Watch it grow in the next test.

Try it

Do dirty hands matter?

You need: two slices of bread, or two pieces of flat bread, two clean jars with lids, or two clean clear bags, soap and water, paper and a pencil, to label the jars, a shelf where no one will open them.

Be safe: Never open the jars. Never smell or taste the bread. Throw both away closed. Wash your hands after.

  1. Wash your hands well with soap and water. Dry them on a clean cloth.
  2. Touch one slice with both hands. Put it in a jar and close the lid. Label it washed.
  3. Now rub your hands on the ground. Do not wash them. Touch the other slice.
  4. Put it in the second jar and close the lid. Label it unwashed.
  5. Wash your hands with soap and water.
  6. Put both jars on the shelf. Look at them each day for a week. Never open them.

What you will see: On the first day, both slices look the same. After a week, the unwashed slice usually has more mould. Mould is a fuzzy growth you can see. If the two slices look the same, try again with more slices.

If you cannot try it, this is what happens.
Two closed jars, each with a slice of bread inside. The jar on the left has a plain slice and the label less mould. Under it is the label washed hands. The jar on the right has a dotted slice and the label more mould. Under it is the label unwashed hands. Labels: less mould, more mould, washed hands, unwashed hands.less mouldmore mouldwashed handsunwashed hands

A wrong idea many people have

Food that looks and smells fine is safe.

Why it feels right: Bad food often looks bad and smells bad. So food that looks and smells fine must be safe.

The test that breaks it: Look at your two slices on the first day. Both look fresh. Tiny living things may already be on them. A week later, one has grown mould you can see. Never open the jars to smell.

What is true: Germs are too small to see. Many have no smell. Keep food covered, clean and cool.

Key words

germs
tiny things, too small to see. Some make you ill.
mould
a fuzzy growth on old food. It is made of tiny living things.

Back to your guess

The answer is A: Food that looks fine can still carry germs.

Germs are too small to see. Food that looks and smells fine can still carry them.

Check yourself

Try each one before you look. A wrong answer tells you where to go next.

  1. How does a fly carry germs to food?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. A fly lands on dung or rubbish. Germs stick to its feet. Then it lands on food.

    2. Not this one. Flies do not make germs. They carry germs on their feet from dirty places. Try another.

    3. Not this one. A fly does not need to bite. Germs rub off its feet when it lands. Try another.

    See the answer

    Germs stick to its feet, then rub off on food.

    A fly lands on dung or rubbish. Germs stick to its feet. Then it lands on food.

    • If you chose B: Flies do not make germs. They carry germs on their feet from dirty places.
    • If you chose C: A fly does not need to bite. Germs rub off its feet when it lands.

  2. When should you wash your hands with soap and water?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Germs are too small to see. Clean looking hands can still carry them. Try another.

    2. Not this one. Germs on your hands go into your mouth as you eat. Wash before you eat, too. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Germs are on hands every day. Wash before you eat or cook. Try another.

    4. Yes, that is right. Germs on your hands can get into food and into your mouth. Soap and water wash them away.

    See the answer

    Before you eat or cook, and after the toilet

    Germs on your hands can get into food and into your mouth. Soap and water wash them away.

    • If you chose A: Germs are too small to see. Clean looking hands can still carry them.
    • If you chose B: Germs on your hands go into your mouth as you eat. Wash before you eat, too.
    • If you chose C: Germs are on hands every day. Wash before you eat or cook.

  3. What keeps flies off your food?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Open food lets flies land on it. Cover it, and keep it cool another way. Try another.

    2. Yes, that is right. A cover stops flies from landing on the food. So germs cannot rub off on it.

    3. Not this one. The floor has dirt and germs. Keep food covered and off the floor. Try another.

    See the answer

    A lid or a clean cloth over it

    A cover stops flies from landing on the food. So germs cannot rub off on it.

    • If you chose A: Open food lets flies land on it. Cover it, and keep it cool another way.
    • If you chose C: The floor has dirt and germs. Keep food covered and off the floor.

  4. Ana has no fridge. How can she keep a pot of food cooler?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Heat helps germs grow fast. Keep food in the shade. Try another.

    2. Not this one. That keeps food warm. Germs grow fast in warm food. Try another.

    3. Not this one. An open pot lets flies land on the food. Keep it covered and cool. Try another.

    4. Yes, that is right. The water dries from the sand and cloth. That makes the pots, and the food, cooler.

    See the answer

    A pot in a pot, with wet sand and a wet cloth

    The water dries from the sand and cloth. That makes the pots, and the food, cooler.

    • If you chose A: Heat helps germs grow fast. Keep food in the shade.
    • If you chose B: That keeps food warm. Germs grow fast in warm food.
    • If you chose C: An open pot lets flies land on the food. Keep it covered and cool.

  5. From an earlier chapter

    A grown up boils water hard for one minute. What happens to the germs in it?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. A hard boil kills the germs in water. Let it cool with a lid on before you drink it.

    2. Not this one. Germs grow fast in warm food. A hard boil is hot enough to kill them. Go to S2.3.6. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Boiling kills the germs. That is why boiled, cooled water is safe to drink. Go to S2.3.6. Try another.

    See the answer

    They are killed.

    A hard boil kills the germs in water. Let it cool with a lid on before you drink it.

    • If you chose B: Germs grow fast in warm food. A hard boil is hot enough to kill them. Go to S2.3.6.
    • If you chose C: Boiling kills the germs. That is why boiled, cooled water is safe to drink. Go to S2.3.6.

  6. Name three ways to keep food safe.

    See the answer

    Keep it covered. Wash hands with soap and water. Keep it cool, or heat it until very hot all through.

    Covers stop flies. Clean hands stop germs. Cool food slows germs, and a hard heat kills them.

  7. Diego cooked rice this morning and left it out in the heat. It looks and smells fine now. Is it safe to eat?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Many germs have no smell. Food can smell fine and still make you ill. Try another.

    2. Not this one. Germs grow in a few hours in warm food. Food cooked today can be unsafe. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Rice kept cool, or heated until very hot, is fine to eat. Try another.

    4. Yes, that is right. Germs grow fast in warm food. They are too small to see, and many have no smell.

    See the answer

    Not for sure. It was left out, and germs cannot be seen or smelled.

    Germs grow fast in warm food. They are too small to see, and many have no smell.

    • If you chose A: Many germs have no smell. Food can smell fine and still make you ill.
    • If you chose B: Germs grow in a few hours in warm food. Food cooked today can be unsafe.
    • If you chose C: Rice kept cool, or heated until very hot, is fine to eat.

  8. Joseph cut raw fish on a board. What should he do before he cuts bread on it?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. Raw fish can carry germs. Washing stops them reaching food you eat as it is.

    2. Not this one. A dry wipe leaves germs on the board. Wash it with soap and water. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Germs from the raw fish can rub onto the bread. The bread is eaten as it is. Try another.

    4. Not this one. Many germs have no smell. Wash the board to make it safe. Try another.

    See the answer

    Wash the board and his hands with soap and water.

    Raw fish can carry germs. Washing stops them reaching food you eat as it is.

    • If you chose B: A dry wipe leaves germs on the board. Wash it with soap and water.
    • If you chose C: Germs from the raw fish can rub onto the bread. The bread is eaten as it is.
    • If you chose D: Many germs have no smell. Wash the board to make it safe.

Keep it

Copy this into your exercise book.

Germs are too small to see. Flies and dirty hands carry them to food. Wash hands with soap and water. Wash before eating and after the toilet. Keep food covered. Eat it soon or keep it cool.

Draw: Draw a fly going from dung to food. Draw a lid over the food. Write germs.

Reading with a child? A short page for the adult: what this chapter teaches and three questions to ask.

No internet tomorrow? Save the whole book as one file (704 KB). It opens on any phone.