Food for Thought – National Food Safety Month 2024

The first step in food safety hygiene is washing hands regularly. Hands should be washed for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm or cold water before, during, and after preparing food and before eating. In addition, utensils, cutting boards, and countertops should also be washed with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.

Raw meat, chicken and other poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs to ready-to-eat food so it is important to keep them separate. These items should be stored in sealed containers or wrapped securely so the juices don’t leak onto other foods. Another tip is to use one cutting board or plate for raw meat, poultry, and seafood and a separate cutting board or plate for produce, bread, and other foods that won’t be cooked.

Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs that can cause illness. The only way to truly tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer. When taking the temperature place the food thermometer in the thickest part of the food, making sure not to touch bone, fat, or gristle.

Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F. Never leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if exposed to temperatures above 90°F). Refrigerator temperatures should be at 40°F or below and freezer temperatures at 0°F or below. Package warm or hot food into several clean, shallow containers and then refrigerate. Lastly, thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Never thaw food on the counter because bacteria multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature.