Did you know that an estimated 48 million people in the U.S. get sick each year with a foodborne illness? 1 That’s 1 in every 6 people! To increase food safety awareness and spread the word on safe food handling practices, federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have deemed September National Food Safety Education Month. In this blog, we go “back to the basics” and revisit some easy food safety principles that we all can practice more frequently, which can help reduce our chances of getting sick from food.
Keeping the U.S. food supply safe falls on the shoulders of many entities, including industry, local, state, and federal regulators, and even consumers. While our country's “farm to fork” production chain is incredibly complex, keeping food safe doesn’t have to be. In fact, the CDC and others outline four basic steps that go a long way in reducing the risk of foodborne illness: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill. 2
Clean: Hands and surfaces can become contaminated after handling raw, uncooked, or contaminated food. Once contaminated, hands and surfaces can spread germs to other food, surfaces, and even individuals, increasing the risk for foodborne illness. The solution? Make sure to clean your hands and surfaces often! If possible, use soap and water to clean your hands before, during, and after preparing food. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol, and follow the label instructions. To clean surfaces, first, remove any soil or food debris that might be present, and then apply an EPA-approved surface sanitizer, preferably one that is effective against norovirus and does not require a rinse step after use on food contact surfaces.
For more information on when and how to wash hands, visit https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/.
Separate: It is important to keep raw meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, and eggs separate from other foods, especially foods that have been cooked or are ready to eat. Be sure to use different cutting boards, knives, and utensils for uncooked food to avoid transferring germs to cooked or prepared foods that are ready to serve. Not separating raw and uncooked foods from those that are cooked or ready to eat can lead to cross-contamination, which increases the risk of foodborne illness.
Cook: Foods, especially raw meats and poultry, need to be cooked to a safe internal temperature in order to kill germs that can make you sick. Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperatures of the food after cooking – the color or appearance of food after cooking isn’t a reliable indicator of temperature.
For a list of safe cooking temperatures for various foods, visit https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures.
Chill: After cooking and preparing food, it is important to properly store your food at cold temperatures to prevent the growth of germs that could cause illness. Within 2 hours of cooking food, be sure to refrigerate your leftovers at 40°F or less. Also, be sure not to overfill your refrigerator, as airflow is needed for it to maintain colder temperatures. A thermometer for use inside of your refrigerator can help you ensure you’re maintaining proper cold-holding temperatures.
While keeping food safe may seem complex at first, following these 4 simple steps can go a long way in reducing the risk of a foodborne illness.
For more information on National Food Safety Education Month, visit https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety and https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/food-safety-education-month.