AHS advising public to stay safe around food and water

Alberta Health Services is reminding everyone to stay safe around food and water while enjoying the outdoors.

AHS says you should never assume water from lakes, streams, and rivers is safe to drink, as they may contain bacteria, viruses and parasites, and can be particularly harmful to people with weaker immune systems.

Foodborne illnesses are caused by eating or drinking food and beverages that have harmful germs, often associated with raw meat.

You can avoid these germs by washing your hands with soap before and after handling raw meat, cleaning and sanitizing all utensils and surfaces immediately after coming into contact with raw meat and wash all fruit and vegetables under clean running water before eating.