Food Safety Tips for At-Home Cooking and Dining Out

Did you know that an estimated 1 in 6 Americans get sick each year from consuming contaminated food? Foodborne illnesses, also known as food poisoning, are very common, yet also very preventable with the proper food safety knowledge.

There are a few populations that are at higher risk for contracting a foodborne illness, such as people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, and younger children. You can help to keep your family safe by learning how to properly handle food.

Whether you are cooking with fresh produce, meat, or are eating something raw at a restaurant, a few food safety tips are always good to keep in mind.

4 Food Safety Tips While in The Kitchen:

Following these 4 tips will not only keep you and your family safe but will help you understand just how easy it is to prevent foodborne illnesses. Follow these simple steps:

1. Clean: It is extremely important to wash your hands and surfaces you are using during the cooking process often to delay the onset of bacteria formation. You should not wait until you are finished cooking to start cleaning things like utensils, cutting boards, and countertops.

2. Separate: NEVER mix raw meat, seafood, poultry, or eggs with other food items. These items are known to spread germs, so keeping them separate will prevent other items from getting contaminated. This means that using a separate cutting board for meats is imperative.

3. Cook: When cooking with raw meat, seafood, poultry, or eggs, certain temperatures kill bacteria. Most items need to cook to at least 145 degrees to kill harmful bacteria. But, items like ground meat and poultry need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 and 165 degrees. A food thermometer is the only accurate way to measure internal temperature.

4. Chill: If you have leftovers, you must refrigerate them within 2 hours of cooking. Bacteria can form on meat, seafood, poultry, or eggs if they are left out for too long. If the temperature outside is higher than 90 degrees, refrigerate leftovers within 1 hour of cooking.

4 Food Safety Tips When Dining Out

When eating out, there are some great ways to protect yourself and your loved ones from contracting a foodborne illness.

1. Order properly cooked food: Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat because harmful bacteria can be living on the surface of the food.

2. Make sure the food you order comes out hot: Lukewarm food usually means it has been sitting out for some time, and bacteria can form.

3. Watch for proper food safety practices: If possible, keep an eye out for if workers are wearing gloves while preparing food and if there are signs in bathrooms that say employees must wash hands.

4. Refrigerate leftovers quickly: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of consuming, or within 1 hour if it is very hot outside. Do not keep leftovers for more than 4 days, because the risk of bacteria formation is possible.

Now that you have an understanding of how easy it is to prevent foodborne illness, you can keep you and your family members safe while cooking at home and eating out!

Your turn to take action: What is one tip that you learned that you will do regularly from now on? Let me know in the comments below.