Food Safety Tips
A critical part of healthy eating is keeping foods safe. Individuals in their own homes can reduce contaminants and keep food safe to eat by following safe food handling practices. Four basic food safety principles work together to reduce the risk of food borne illness — Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
CLEAN:
- Wash hands with soap and water
Wet hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available. Rub hands together to make lather and scrub all parts of the hand for 20 seconds. Rinse hands thoroughly and dry using a clean paper towel. If possible, use a paper towel to turn off the faucet.
- Sanitize surfaces
Surfaces should be washed with hot, soapy water. A solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water can be used to sanitize surfaces.
- Clean sweep refrigerated foods once a week
At least once a week, throw out refrigerated foods that should no longer be eaten. Cooked leftovers should be discarded after 4 days; raw poultry and ground meats, 1 to 2 days.
- Keep appliances clean
Clean the inside and the outside of appliances. Pay particular attention to buttons and handles where cross-contamination to hands can occur.
- Rinse produce
Rinse fresh vegetables and fruits under running water just before eating, cutting, or cooking.
SEPARATE
- Separate foods when shopping
Place raw seafood, meat, and poultry in plastic bags. Store them below ready-to-eat foods in your refrigerator.
- Separate foods when preparing and servingAlways use a clean cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw seafood, meat, and poultry. Never place cooked food back on the same plate or cutting board that previously held raw food.
COOK AND CHILL
- Cook food thoroughly
Food is cooked thoroughly till when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick.
- Cook food to safe internal temperature
One effective way to prevent illness is to cook properly all food items including seafood, meat, poultry, and egg dishes.
- Keep foods at safe temperatureHold cold foods at 4.44°C or below. Keep hot foods at 60 °C or above. Foods are no longer safe to eat when they have been in the danger zone between 4.44-60 °C for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 32.22°C).