Basic Food Safety Practices
Food related illness can be kept to a minimum by following SAFE FOOD PRACTICES.
You can’t always see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness.
The four major guidelines to keep food safe are :
- Keep Clean Wash hands and surfaces often.
- Keep Separated Don’t cross-contaminate.
- Cook Properly Cook to proper temperatures.
- Chill Quickly Refrigerate promptly.
Shopping
Buy refrigerated or frozen items last.
Never buy meat or poultry in torn or damaged packaging.
Do not buy food past “Sell-By,” “Use-By,” or other expiration dates.
Storage
Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 32 °C).
Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 4 °C or below and the freezer at 0 °C or below.
Meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
Thawing
- Refrigerator: Thaw on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Use a tray or plate on to prevent dripping onto other food.
- Cold Water: Place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing.
- Microwave: Meat and poultry thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately
Preparation
Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling food.
Prevent cross-contamination. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water.
Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.
Do not use the same cutting board for raw meat and other foods.
Cooking
Bone in meats: Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal to a minimum internal temperature of 62 °C
Ground meats: Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 71 °C
Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 75 °C
Use a meat thermometer to check internal tempertures.
Serving
Hot food should be held at 60 °C or warmer.
Cold food should be held at 4 °C or colder.
When serving food at a buffet, keep hot food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers,or a bain marie.
Keep cold food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice.
Use a food thermometer to check temperatures.
Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour when the temperature is above 32 °C).
Leftovers
Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 32 °C).
Place food into shallow containers and cool radily in the fridge or freezer.
Use cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
Reheat leftovers to 75 °C.
Refreezing
Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be refrozen before or after cooking provided the food has not be taken out of the fridge.
If thawed by other methods, cook before refreezing.