Food Safety Tips When Buying, Preparing & Storing Food

WHY FOOD SAFETY MATTERS Preventing the spread of food borne illnesses.

Start at the Supermarket Shopping list in hand? Where should you start? How do you know which foods are safe? How do you keep foods safe?

Start at the Supermarket Put refrigerated foods in your cart last. Ex. Meat, fish, eggs, & milk placed in cart after cereals, produce, & chips. When buying packaged meat, poultry (chicken or turkey), or fish, check expiration date label. Don’t buy food that has expired or if it will expire before you plan to use it.

Start at the Supermarket Don’t buy or use fish or meat that has a strong or strange odor even if the expiration date is ok. Place meats in plastic bag so that any juices do not leak onto other food in your cart.

Start at the Supermarket Separate any raw meat, fish, or poultry from vegetables, fruit, and other foods you will eat raw. When buying eggs, make sure none of the eggs are cracked and that they are all clean.

In the Kitchen How quickly should things be used? How long should they be cooked? What should be washed?

In the Kitchen After a trip to the market, first put away foods that belong in the refrigerator & freezer. Raw meat, poultry, and fish should be cooked or frozen within 2 days. That frozen meat, poultry, and fish in the refrigerator or microwave, never at room temperature.

In the Kitchen Use a food thermometer when cooking meat and poultry. Cook thawed meat, poultry, and fish immediately; don’t let it hang around for hours. Cook ground beef, veal, pork, or lamb until it’s no longer pink or until it has an internal temperature of at least 71 degree Celsius. Cook ground chicken or turkey to 74 degrees Celsius.

In the Kitchen Scrub all fruits and veggies with plain water to remove any pesticides, dirt, or bacterial contamination. Keep eggs in original carton on a shelf in the fridge because most refrigerator doors don’t keep eggs cold enough.

Clean Up The kitchen looks clean, but is it? How do I prevent the spread of bacteria while preparing food?

Clean Up Even though the kitchen might look clean, your hands, countertops, and utensils you use could contain lots of bacteria you can’t even see!!! YUCK!

Clean Up Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before preparing any food. Wash your hands after handling raw meat, poultry, fish, or egg products. Keep raw meats and their juices away from other foods in the refrigerator and on countertops.

Clean Up Never put cooked food on a dish that was holding raw meat, poultry, or fish. If you use knives and other utensils on raw meat, poultry, or fish, you need to wash them before using them to cut or handle something else.

Clean Up If you touch raw meat, poultry, or fish, wash your hands! Don’t wipe them on a dish towel. This can contaminate the towel with bacteria, which may spread to someone else’s hands.

Clean Up Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, and fish, and another board for everything else. When done preparing food: Wipe down countertops with cleansing product. Wash cutting board in hot, soapy water and then disinfect with cleansing product.

How can I make my own cleanser? Mix together 5 mL chlorine bleach and 1 L water and store solution in spray bottle.

Storing Leftovers Safely How can I store my leftovers safely to enjoy later?

Storing Leftovers Safely Put leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible. 2 HOUR RULE: Perishable food should not be left at room temperature longer than two hours.

Storing Leftovers Safely Store leftovers in containers with lids that can be snapped tightly with plastic wrap… OR aluminum foil to keep the food from drying out. Eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days. Don’t freeze any dishes that contain uncooked fruit or veggies, hard-cooked eggs, or mayonnaise.

Storing Leftovers Safely When freezing leftovers: Freeze in 1 to 2 portion servings. This makes it easier to take out and pop in the microwave and eat. Eat frozen leftovers within 2 months.

!!!!! DANGER ZONE !!!!! Note: Know Danger Zone in Celsius for test