Americans are cooking more meals at home due to social distancing guidelines. Foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning, can be caused by poor food handling, preparation, or storage techniques. There are four main steps you can take to prevent foodborne illness in your household when cooking for your family: clean, separate, cook, and chill.
Clean
- Bacteria can be easily spread throughout your kitchen. Cleaning hands and surfaces often can prevent foodborne illness. Here are a few tips and suggestions on cleaning:
- Wash your hands before preparing food and when soiled for at least 20-seconds with warm water and soap.
- Always wash your hands after handling raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Wash all kitchen surfaces, cutting boards, and utensils before and after preparing each food item.
- Wash your hands before preparing food and when soiled for at least 20-seconds with warm water and soap.
Separate
Proper separation techniques can prevent cross-contamination. Cross-contamination with food is when bacteria is accidentally transferred from one food item to another. Here are a few tips and suggestions for separation:
- Separate meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs in your shopping cart and grocery bags.
- Use separate cutting boards for produce, and another for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Never consume food that has come in contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
- Use fresh plates and utensils for meat after it has been cooked. Raw meat and uncooked juices have potential to contaminate cooked products.
Cook
- Cook food to the appropriate temperature to kill harmful bacteria.
- Always use a thermometer to check the internal temperature at the thickest point; color is not a good indicator of doneness.
- Check meats internal temperature at the thickest point with a food thermometer
- Beef, pork, veal, lamb – 145°F
- Ground meats – 160°F
- Poultry – 165°F
- Eggs and egg dishes – 160°F
- Fish – 145°F
Chill
- Refrigerate or freeze foods promptly when returning home from grocery shopping.
- Use a cooler bag when transporting cold food items to slow bacterial growth.
- Keep your refrigerator at a constant temperature at or below 40°F.
- Keep your freezer at a constant temperature at or below 0°F.
- Defrost meat in the refrigerator, microwave, or in cold water, never at room temperature. Thawed food should be cooked immediately.
Check out Fight BAC for more information: https://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-basics/the-core-four-practices/
What is one thing you can do to prevent foodborne illness in your home?
Always wash your food, hands, counters, and cooking tools.
Wash hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds. …
Wash your cutting boards, dishes, forks, spoons, knives, and counter tops with hot soapy water. …
Rinse fruits and veggies.
Do not wash meat, poultry, fish, or eggs.
thanks a lot of information good