Food Safety - General Rules

Keep your food safe with these helpful handling and storage tips.

Clean start to a safe meal
Play it safe when preparing meals. Keep all raw meat separate from any ready to eat products.

• Off limits. Never place raw meat (beef, fish, pork, chicken) on top of or over ready-to-eat foods in the refrigerator or shopping cart.
• Wash up. Wash hands and utensils thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling raw meat.
• To each its own. Keep two cutting boards on hand: one for raw meat and one for everything else.
• Last one in. Don't placed cooked food in a bowl or plate that has been in contact with raw meat.
• All gone. Remove all food particles from the dishes and pans before placing in dishwasher. Utensils should be loaded with handles up.
• Clean it up. Sanitize dishrags and sponges in the dishwasher or washing machine. Clean and sanitize counters after each use with antibacterial cleansers and paper towels.

Hot tips on safe cooking temperatures
Meats and poultry don't have to be well done, but they should be cooked well.

• Put it to the test. Be sure meat is cooked thoroughly by taking its temperature with a meat thermometer in the thickest part.
• Be careful. Make sure you use a thermometer that has been thoroughly washed before using.
• Best burgers. Cook hamburgers to 160 degrees or higher in the center.
• Perfectly pork. Cook pork to a perfect 155 degrees in the center.
• Prime poultry. Cook chicken to 165 degrees at its thickest part for prime safety.
• Wash, dry, use. Wash the thermometer after every use and dry it with a paper towel.

Cool ways to store food safely
Storing foods promptly and safely is the easy part of eating well and staying healthy.

• Cool it. Keep your refrigerator at 32 to 36 degrees F.
• To eat or not to eat. Don't eat leftovers or opened packages of lunchmeat after five days.
• Check it twice. Make a list of refrigerated, frozen, and perishable items and their storage lives.
• The dating game. Label leftovers with the date you placed them in the refrigerator.
• Time to go. Once a week, check your refrigerator for food items that need to be thrown away.
• Clean it and mean it. Clean and sanitize your refrigerator and freezer on a regular basis.

The high five of hand washing
Clean hands can be your key to good health:

• The Center for Disease Control says the best way to protect yourself from colds is washing your hands.
• Wash first. Always wash your hands before cooking dinner and before you eat.
• Beat the bug. Wash your hands more frequently when you're around someone who’s sick.
• Sing it. Thoroughly washing your hands means using soap and warm water for about the amount of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice (approx. 20 seconds).
• Pick paper. Dry your hands with a paper towel. Don't use cotton towels that have been used by someone else.