How to Prevent Botulism
Most people think botulism is a food-borne illness, but there are actually three different types of botulism. There is food-borne botulism that is usually caused by improperly canned foods, infant botulism and wound botulism. All three types of botulism are easily prevented.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Avoid feeding honey to infants younger than 12 months old to prevent infant botulism. Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum. When given to an infant under 12 months of age, the spores stay in the intestines where they give off toxins and cause botulism.
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2
Prevent wound botulism by caring properly for wounds. Wound botulism occurs when an open wound becomes infected with Clostridium botulinum, which is naturally occurring in soil. If you have a wound, wash it well with soap and water, use an antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin and cover it with a bandage. If the wound appears to be infected, see your doctor immediately.
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3
Can your low-acid garden produce using a pressure canner, not a water-bath canner. Follow only tested recipes in home-canning manuals such as the Ball Blue Book of Home Canning, and follow the directions to the letter. Low-acid foods, such as green beans, beets and squash offer the perfect breeding ground for Clostridium botulinum when improperly canned.
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Boil home-canned foods for at least 10 minutes before eating to kill any botulism toxins that may be present.
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Tips & Warnings
Home-canning is a lost art that is enjoying a resurgence as more people start home gardens. While home-canned goods are a leading cause of foodborne botulism, done properly, home-canning provides excellent, wholesome nutrition. To learn more about proper home-canning techniques, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation's (NCHFP) website. The NCHFP offers an online home-canning safety course.
