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Nov
21

Food safety tips

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. Salmonella is the single most important foodborne disease now. In addition to contact with live poultry, people can get infected with Salmonella bacteria by eating raw or undercooked poultry products or other food that includes raw eggs (e.g. cookie dough) or has been contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. The tips below can also help prevent other foodborne diseases such as infections with Campylobacter and E. coli.

  • Refrigeration

    Keep eggs and left-over egg-containing foods refrigerated at 45ºF or less at all times. Discard cracked or dirty eggs.

  • Pasteurization

    Do not drink unpasteurized milk or eat products made with unpasteurized milk (e.g. cheeses).

  • Avoid undercooked eggs

    Do not eat raw or undercooked eggs or raw or undercooked meat, including restaurant dishes.

  • Separate cutting boards

    Do not cut vegetables or other ready-to-eat foods on the same cutting board as chicken or meat without thoroughly cleaning the knife and the cutting board first.

  • Cooking doneness

    Cook eggs until the white and the yolk are firm and eat promptly.

  • Use a food thermometer

    Use a food thermometer to check that poultry and meat are hot enough to kill harmful bacteria:

    • Poultry: at least 165º F
    • Ground meat (beef, pork and veal): at least 158º F
    • Pork (except pork sausage): 145º F
    • Steaks and other beef, veal, lamb, and fin fish: 145º F

  • Thoroughly wash hands

    Thoroughly wash hands with soap and water before or after contact with raw eggs or meat.

  • Wash food contact surfaces

    Thoroughly wash all food contact surfaces with soap and water after contact with raw eggs or raw poultry or other meat. Then disinfect food contact surfaces as follows:

    • Apply a mix of 1 teaspoon liquid household bleach per gallon of cold water.
    • Do not rinse.
    • Let air dry.
    • Prepare the bleach solution fresh daily.

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