Food Safety Tips . . . at Home
Taste and nutrition are important when preparing food, but food safety needs to be front and center too. Foodborne illnesses can be serious – even life threatening – but you can prevent most cases by following a few simple rules:
Wash your hands!
o This simple step greatly reduces the risk of illness. Nothing replaces washing with soap and water, but if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Always wash your hands after using the restroom or handling potentially hazardous foods like meat or eggs. The bottom line: Wash your hands before handling food products.
Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
o Bacteria multiply quickly under the right conditions. Their numbers can double every 10 minutes! That’s why potentially hazardous foods should not remain in the danger zone (40°-140° F) longer than two hours. Although the maximum time food should be left out for serving is two hours, when the weather is hot and temperatures are higher than 90o F, perishable food must be refrigerated or thrown out after only one hour!
Separate – don’t cross-contaminate.
o If you transport meat in a cooler, make sure it is well wrapped and use plenty of ice. Coolers should be washed and sanitized regularly. Use a separate cutting board for raw foods like meat, poultry, and fish and another for cooked foods, salads and ready-to-eat foods like salads. Use a clean plate and utensils to serve foods.
Know safe temperatures.
o Different types of meat need to be cooked to different temperatures before they can be safely eaten. Because you can’t tell if meat is done by looking at it, use a calibrated thermometer. For tips on correct temperatures and how to use a meat thermometer, visit www.IsItDoneYet.gov.
Wash your produce – even fruits like cantaloupe and watermelon.
o If a melon hasn’t been properly washed, a knife can carry germs from the outside to the inner part that will be eaten.
Sources:
• USDA and the Partnership for Food Safety Education. Be Food Safe, www.befoodsafe.gov.
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), www.fsis.usda.gov.
