Keep your family safe from food-borne illnesses by following these tips while preparing and handling food. Taking precaution and practicing sanitary food preparation is key to keeping the members of your household safe and healthy while eating.

1. FOOD SAFETY
AT HOME

2. Each year, 1 in 6 Americans gets
sick from eating contaminated
food.
When preparing and handling
food cooked at home, proper
precautions must be taken to
prevent foodborne illnesses
from spreading.

3. WASH HANDS OFTEN:
- Effective handwashing is
critical to prevent foodborne
illness
- Wash hands for 20 seconds
with soap and running hot
water
WHEN TO WASH YOUR HANDS:
- Before food preparation
- Before eating
- Before feeding children
- After handling raw foods
- After using the restroom
- After handling garbage or dirty
dishes

4. KITCHEN SURFACES:
- Clean kitchen surfaces, appliances and tools with hot,
soapy water
- Sanitize sponges in bleach solution (one teaspoon of
bleach added to one quart of water) and replace sponges
frequently
- Do not use dish towels for multiple tasks
- Wash dishcloths and towels in the washing machine

5. PREVENTING CROSS-CONTAMINATION
- Store raw meat on bottom shelf of refrigerator
- Wash all produce, even pre-packaged/pre-washed items
- Store washed produce in a clean container
- Wash plates between uses or use separate plates when handling raw
meat, poultry, seafood

6. USING CUTTING BOARDS
- Use two separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry, and
seafood and one for ready-to-eat foods
- Use a dishwasher to cleanse cutting boards or wash
thoroughly in hot, soapy water
- Discard old, worn out cutting boards that have cracks, crevices
or excessive knife scars

7. COOKING TEMPERATURES
- When cooking raw food,
harmful bacteria are only
destroyed when food is cooked
to proper temperatures:
- Chicken and meat: 160º F
- Pork: 145º F
- Use a meat thermometer to get
an accurate reading of the
internal temperature

8. FOOD STORAGE
- Keep left over food refrigerated at
temperatures below 40º F to
prevent bacteria from growing
- Recommended Storage Time for
leftovers:
- Cooked beef, pork, poultry: 3-5
days
- Sliced deli meats: 3-5 days
- Milk: 7 days
- Pizza: 3-4 days
- Egg dishes: 3-4 days
- Fresh eggs in shells: 3-5 weeks