Many people feel that food safety is only an issue in commercial food services, but the truth is that the same hazards can exist in your own kitchen. Food related illnesses do not discriminate and the more knowledge a person has about food safety, the less chance there is that an illness will originate in the home.
Holiday Food Safety information.
4 Easy Things to Remember!
Raw products should be separated from ready to eat foods to prevent cross-contamination and risk of illness. Proper Food Storage
Storage in a refrigerator is based on proper cooking temperatures. The foods that require the highest cooking temperature should be stored on the bottom. Ready to eat foods like fruits, vegetables, deli meats, and cheeses should be stored on the top. This prevents hazards like raw chicken (salmonella) dripping onto lettuce that won’t be cooked.
KEEP HOT FOODS HOT AND COLD FOODS COLD!
Foods that require refrigeration (meats, cheeses, milk, etc) should be kept below 41°F to slow the growth of bacteria and risk of illness. Remember that custard pies like pumpkin pies should be kept cold too!
After cooking, foods shall be kept hot that 135°F and above to limit the growth of bacteria that could make you sick.
Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible. When cooling a large portion of food, like soup or chili, try to break it down into smaller portions. Don’t put lids on cooling foods in the fridge - until it’s cold… the heat can’t get out!
A calibrated food probe thermometer is always a useful tool for verifying that various foods are cooked and held to adequate temperatures to destroy or limit the growth microorganisms. These thermometers can be purchased inexpensively from local grocery and hardware stores. Simply insert the metal stem into your favorite dish and watch the needle move. It only takes a few seconds and the benefits of preventing an illness far exceed your investment in the thermometer.
Processed foods (chicken nuggets, hot dogs, etc) and Vegetables: 135°F
Fish, shellfish, beef, pork, and eggs: 145°F
Whole cuts of beef or pork roasts: 145°F
Ground meats (beef or pork), pooled eggs: 155°F
Casseroles, stuffed foods, and poultry: 165°F
Reheating all foods: 165°F
Any food in a microwave – remember to stir frequently: 165°F
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Be Food Safe: Protect Yourself from Food Poisoning
Most people don't think about food
safety until they or someone they know gets sick from eating
contaminated food. It can happen to anyone.
Foodborne illness, sometimes called food poisoning, is a common,
costly—yet preventable—public health problem. Each year, about 1 in 6
Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are
hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. With the recent
high-profile outbreaks of Salmonella in raw
ground tuna and Listeria on
cantaloupes, food safety is fresh in our minds.
Common Foodborne Illnesses and Symptoms
The
most common foodborne illnesses are norovirus, Salmonella,
Clostridium perfringens, and
Campylobacter. Symptoms of food poisoning can be as commonplace
as diarrhea or as life-threatening as organ failure. These
illnesses can even cause long-term health problems or death. When young
children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with weak immune
systems eat contaminated food, they have a greater chance of
becoming severely sick with problems like miscarriage or kidney
failure.
See your doctor or healthcare provider if you have diarrhea
along with a high fever (temperature over 101.5°F, measured
orally), blood in the stools, prolonged vomiting that prevents you
from keeping liquids down, signs of dehydration, including a
decrease in urination, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy
when standing up, or if you have had diarrhea for more than 3
days.
Be Food-Safe Savvy: Know the Risks and Rules
Everyone is at risk for food poisoning. To reduce your
risk, be savvy about how germs can be
found in contaminated food and sometimes make you sick. There
are things that you can do to protect yourself. For example, do not
eat or drink foods containing raw eggs or raw
(unpasteurized) milk.
Young children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with
weak immune systems are more at risk for food poisoning and should
be especially careful. Knowing the rules of food safety will help
prevent germs sometimes found in food from making you sick.
Rules of Food Safety
- CLEAN
Wash your hands and surfaces often. Germs can survive in many
places around your kitchen, including your hands, utensils, and
cutting boards.
- SEPARATE
Don't cross-contaminate. Even after you’ve cleaned your hands and
surfaces thoroughly, raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can still
spread germs to ready-to-eat foods—unless you keep them
separate.
Watch the SEPARATE video!
- COOK
Cook to the right temperature. While many people think they
can tell when food is "done" simply by checking its color and
texture, there’s no way to be sure it’s safe without following a
few important but simple steps. Use a food thermometer to ensure
that foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature: 145°F for
whole meats (allowing the meat to rest for 3 minutes before carving
or consuming), 160°F for ground meats, and 165°F for all
poultry.
Watch the COOK video!
- CHILL
Keep your refrigerator below 40°F and refrigerate foods properly.
Germs can grow in many foods within 2 hours unless you refrigerate
them. (During the summer heat, cut that time down to 1 hour.)
For more information on preventing food poisoning, check your
steps at FoodSafety.gov.
More Information
For more information about foodborne illness and food safety,
call 1-800-CDC-INFO, e-mail cdcinfo@cdc.gov, or visit these
Web sites:
CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting
people from health threats, and saving money to have a more secure
nation. A US federal agency, CDC helps make the healthy choice the
easy choice by putting science and prevention into action. CDC
works to help people live longer, healthier and more productive
lives.