Safe Food Handling at Home

The majority of foodborne illness in the U.S. comes from food made and consumed in the home.  It is important when cooking and preparing food that you are taking proper measures to reduce the risk of a food borne illness.

Foodborne illness can strike anyone. However, some people are at a higher risk for developing foodborne illness. These include pregnant women, young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. If you or a loved one are in one of these at-risk groups, it’s important to pay extra attention to handling food safely.

Tips on Food Handling

• Avoid cross contamination. Wash your hands every time before coming into contact with food.  Wash hands/utensils after handling raw meat, fish, or poultry.
• Wash your hands often. Use soap and water to wash and paper towels or clean cloth towels to dry your hands. Research has proven that frequent hand washing is the most effective way to prevent food-borne illnesses.
• Keep perishable foods refrigerated or frozen until they are used. Thaw frozen items in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or a microwave (as part of the continuing cooking process). Marinate food in the refrigerator.
• Make sure the temperature in your refrigerator is below 40°F. Keep a thermometer in the refrigerator and check it often. Adjust the thermostat to a cooler setting if necessary.
• Examine foods and all date labeling. Buy foods with the longest period to the expiration date. Don't buy food items if the packaging is damaged. Throw away foods that don’t look and smell fresh. A change in the odor or appearance of foods is often a sign of spoilage. Throw away eggs with cracked shells.
• Be sure cutting boards and knives are thoroughly scrubbed and washed with soapy water after each use. These items can easily transfer disease-causing bacteria from raw meats and poultry to vegetables, fruit, or cooked meat. Use different cutting boards for raw and ready-to-eat foods.
• Don’t use marinades that have come into contact with raw meat as dips or for basting. If you want to use the marinade for these purposes, boil it first or prepare a separate portion for that use.
• Store raw meat, poultry, and fish in the meat drawer of your refrigerator or in tightly sealed plastic bags to prevent juices from leaking onto other foods. Thaw frozen meats, fish, and poultry in a pan on the lowest shelf so that juices won't drip on other foods.