With the recent high profile food recalls, people might be even more aware of the importance of food safety. June 7th is World Food Safety Day, which is a great time to review the 4 steps to keeping our food safe. These steps are: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. It’s incredibly important to understand the need of these 4 steps and to practice the tips from the CDC below every time you prepare food.
Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often.
- Wash hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food and before eating.
- Wash utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.
- Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.
Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate.
- Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs to ready-to-eat foods—unless you keep them separate.
- Use separate cutting boards and plates for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
- When grocery shopping, keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods.
- Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods in the refrigerator.
Cook to the right temperature.
- Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs that can make you sick. The only way to tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer.
- Use a food thermometer to ensure foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature.
- Whole cuts of beef, veal, lamb, and pork, including fresh ham (raw): 145°F (then allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving or eating)
- Fish with fins: 145°F or cook until flesh is opaque
- Ground meats, such as beef and pork: 160°F
- All poultry, including ground chicken and turkey: 165°F
- Leftovers and casseroles: 165°F
- Microwave food thoroughly, use a food thermometer to make sure food reaches 165°F.
Chill: Refrigerate promptly.
Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F.
- Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below, your freezer at 0˚F or below.
- Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours. If the food is exposed to temperatures above 90°F (like a hot car or picnic), refrigerate it within 1 hour.
- Thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Never thaw foods on the counter because bacteria multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature.
By: Ashley Svaty
