Food Safety

You can’t SEE, TASTE, or SMELL them. Foodborne bacteria are sneaky they can spread throughout the kitchen. If eaten, they can cause foodborne illness!

How do we keep from getting sick? Headaches Stomach Cramps Diarrhea Fever

4 Steps Clean Separate Cook Chill

Clean Wash hands and surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen. It can be on cutting boards, knives, washrags, and counter tops.

Clean: Hand Washing Wash hands with HOT and SOAPY water before: – Handling food –After using the restroom –Changing diapers –And handling pets

Clean: Hand Washing How long should you wash your hands to send bacteria down the drain? –A. 5 seconds –B. 10 seconds –C. 15 seconds –D. 20 seconds

D. 20 seconds

Clean: Dishwashing Wash cutting boards, knives, utensils, and countertops in HOT SOAPY water after each food item AND before going on to the next one.

Separate Don’t cross contaminate. Cross contamination is how bacteria spreads from one food product to another. Especially raw meat, poultry, and seafood.

Separate Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods in the shopping cart.

Separate Store raw meat, poultry and seafood on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so juices don’t drip onto other foods.

Separate If possible use one cutting board for raw meat products and another for salads and foods that are ready to be eaten.

Separate ALWAYS wash cutting boards, knives, and other utensils with hot soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

Separate NEVER place cooked food on a plate which previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

Cook Cook food to proper temperatures. Food safety experts agree that foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long time and a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

Cook Cook roasts and steaks to at least 145 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer. Poultry should be cooked to 180 degrees F. Ground meats should be cooked to 160 degrees F due to bacteria being spread during grinding. Don’t eat if still pink!

Cook Eggs: Cook until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Don’t use recipes where the eggs remain raw or only partially cooked. Salmonella can grow inside fresh unbroken eggs.

Cook Cook fish until it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Make sure there are no cold spots in food where bacteria can survive- when using the microwave oven. When reheating sauces, soups, and gravies, bring to a boil. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165 degrees F.

Cook: Microwave Microwaves don’t cook like other appliances. They can get food hot enough to kill bacteria, but due to uneven cooking it may not kill all.

Cook: Microwave Therefore YOU have to –Arrange –Cover –Rotate –Stir –And Turn Foods so they reach a safe temperature inside.

Microwaves? In a regular oven, hot air makes both food and its container hot, while in the microwave the air is cool. Cooking occurs when microwaves cause food molecules to vibrate, resulting in heat from friction.

Microwave Cooking Microwaves go only about an inch deep in most foods, the center cooks when heat travels inward from outer areas. After cooking food needs to stand for up to 1/3 of the cooking time or as the recipe directs, the food will continue to cook. The carryover heat helps equalize the temperature through the food.

Cook: To Defrost Never defrost foods on the counter at room temperature. Defrost gradually at a safe temperature in the refrigerator for a day or two. Use the microwave for quick defrosts, then cook immediately. Food is in the danger zone between degrees F.

Cook: Leftovers Whether from home, a restaurant, or deli you need to refrigerate or freeze leftover foods within 2 hours of cooking. Divide into shallow dishes so they will cool quickly to a safe temperature. Foods left out over 2 hours should be discarded. Use leftovers from in 3-4 days or freeze. When in doubt… Throw it out

Cook Remember- For food to be safe it MUST reach a temperature hot enough and and for enough time to kill bacteria.

Chill Refrigerate properly and promptly. Temperatures should be 40 degrees F or lower to slow the growth of harmful microbes. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check.

Chill: Use this tool to keep cool. a thermometer to check 40 degrees or lower.

Chill: The Chill Factor Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within 2 hours of purchase or use. Always marinate foods in the refrigerator.

Chill: Divide and Conquer Separate large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.

Chill: Avoid the Pack Attack Do NOT overstuff the refrigerator. Cold air must circulate to keep the food safe.

Chill: Rotate Before It’s Too Late Use or discard chilled foods as recommended in the USDA Cold Storage Chart found at Don’t go too low. As you approach 32 degrees F ice crystals can begin to form and lower the quality of some foods such as raw fruits, vegetables, and eggs.

Chill: When in doubt— Throw it out. What if you forget and keep something too long or you just don’t know??? Danger– Never taste foods that looks or smells strange to see if you can still use it. Just discard it. Is it Moldy? The mold you see is only the tip of the iceberg. The poisons which mold can form are found under the surface of the food.

Keep Hot Foods Hot and Cold Foods Cold Harmful bacteria can multiply between 40 and 140 degrees F. Keeping food warm or cool is not enough. Use chafing dishes, slow cookers, and coolers when needed. You must keep it out of the danger zone.

Foodborne Illness Each year millions of people get sick from foodborne illnesses. An estimated 2-3% of these lead to more serious long-term illnesses.

Foodborne Illnesses: E. Coli E.coli can cause kidney failure in young children and infants.

Foodborne Illness: Salmonella Salmonella can lead to reactive arthritis and serious infections.

Foodborne Illness: Listeria Listeria can cause meningitis and stillbirths

Foodborne Illness: Bacteria Campylobactor maybe the most common factor in Guillain-Barr Syndrome.

Botulism With food borne botulism, symptoms begin within 6 hours to 2 weeks (most commonly between 12 and 36 hours) after eating toxin- containing food.

Botulism Symptoms of botulism include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, muscle weakness.

Botulism Paralysis of breathing muscles can cause a person to stop breathing and die, unless assistance with breathing (mechanical ventilation) is provided

Botulism Botulism is not spread from one person to another Food borne botulism can occur in all age groups A common cause of this illness is improperly preserved home-processed foods with low acid content, such as green beans, beets, and corn. The actual number of cases in the United States is small with approximately 9 outbreaks of food borne botulism per year

Remember to-- Clean Separate Cook Chill To Fight Harmful Bacteria and keep your food safe!

Food Safety Starts with YOU-