F\ \, 1^:2-48/^-75 FEB 7 1996 This booklet tells you what to do at each step in food handling— from shopping through storing left- overs—to avoid food poisoning. Never had food poisoning? Actually, it's called foodborne illness. Perhaps you have, but thought you were sick with the flu. Some 33 million Americans could suf- fer from foodborne illness this year. Why? Because under the right conditions, bacteria you can't see, smell or taste can make you sick. It doesn't have to happen, though. Many such cases could be avoided if people just handled food properly. So here's what to do... w HEN You Shop Buy cold food last, get it home fast w When you're out, grocery shop last. Take food straight home to the refrig- erator. Never leave food in a hot car! Don't buy anything you won't use be- fore the use-by date. Don't buy food in poor condition. Make sure refrigerated food is cold to the touch. Frozen food should be rock- solid. Canned goods should be free of dents, cracks or bulging lids which can indicate a serious ioo6 poisoning threat. HEN You Store Food Keep It safe, refrigerate Check the temperature of your refrigerator with an appliance thermometer. To keep bacteria in check, the refrigerator should run at 40° F; the freezer unit at 0° F. Keep your refrigerator as cold as possible with- out freezing milk or lettuce. • Freeze fresh meat, poultry or fish im- mediately if you can't use it within a few days. • Put packages of raw meat, poultry or fish on a plate before refrigerating so their juices won't drip on other food. Raw juices often contain bacteria. w HEN You Prepare Food Keep everything clean, Thaw in refrigerator • Wash hands in hot soapy water before preparing food and after using the bath- room, changing diapers and handling pets. • Harmful bacteria multiply quickly in kitchen towels, sponges and cloths. Wash cloth items often in hot-cycle in your machine. Consider using paper towels to clean up meat and poultry juices. Avoid sponges or place them in the dishwasher daily to kill bacteria. • Keep raw meat, poultry and fish and their juices away from other food. For 'o%%° instance, wash your hands, cutting board, knife and countertops in hot soapy water after cutting up the chicken and before slicing salad ingredients. Also use hot soapy water to wash sink and kitchen faucet handles the raw meat or your "meat-covered" hands have touched. Use plastic or other non-porous cutting boards rather than wooden ones. These boards should be run through the dish- washer after use. What about antibacterial sanitizers in the kitchen? Food handling experts feel hot soapy water used properly should protect you adequately against foodborne bacteria. However, kitchen sanitizers (including a mixture of bleach and water) can provide some added protection. NOTE: Sanitizer product di- rections must be followed carefully as products differ greatly. Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or in the microwave, NOT on the kitchen counter. Marinate in the refrigerator too. w HEN You're COOKINC Cook thoroughly It takes thorough cooking to kill harmful bacteria, so you're taking chances when you eat meat, poultry, fish or eggs that are raw or only partly cooked. Plus, ham- burger that is red in the middle and rare steak and roast beef are also undercooked from the safety standpoint. • Generally cook red meat to 160° F. Cook poultry to 180° F. Use a meat thermom- eter to check that it's cooked all the way through. • To check visually, red meat is done when it's brown or grey inside. Poultry juices run clear. Fish flakes with a fork. • Ground meat, where bacteria can spread throughout the meat during processing, should be cooked to at least 160° F. This means there is no pink left in the middle or in juices. You can allow large cuts like roasts to stay slightly pink in the center as long as they've reached at least 145° F (medium-rare). Do not serve any cut at this low temperature if you have scored (cut or poked with a fork) or tenderized it be- fore cooking, thus forcing surface bacteria into the center. Salmonella, a bacteria that causes food poisoning, can grow inside fresh, un- broken eggs. So cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Scramble eggs to a firm texture. Don't use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked. $ AFE MiCROWAVINC A great timesaver, the microwave has one food safety disadvantage. It sometimes leaves cold spots in food. Bacteria can survive in these spots. So... • Cover food with a lid or plastic wrap so steam can aid thorough cooking. Vent wrap and make sure it doesn't touch the food. • Stir and rotate your food for even cook- ing. No turntable? Rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking. • Observe the standing time called for in a recipe or package directions. During the standing time, food finishes cook- ing. Use the oven tempera- ture probe or a meat thermometer to check that food is done. Insert it at several spots. w HEN You Serve Food II eheatinc Never leave it out over 2 hours Use clean dishes and utensils to serve food, not those used in preparation. Serve grilled food on a clean plate too, not one that held raw meat, poultry or fish. Never leave perishable food out of the refrigerator over 2 hours! Bacteria that can cause food poisoning grow quickly at warm temperatures. Pack lunches in insulated carriers with a cold pack. Caution children never to leave lunches in direct sun or on a warm radiator. Carry picnic food in a cooler with a cold pack. When possible, put the cooler in the shade. Keep the lid on as much as you can. Party time? Keep cold party food on ice or serve it throughout the gathering from platters from the refrigerator. Likewise, divide hot party food into smaller serving platters. Keep platters refrigerated until time to warm them up for serving. w HEN You Handle Leftovers Use small containers for quick cooling • Divide large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator. Don't pack the refrigerator — cool air must circulate to keep food safe. • With poultry or other stuffed meats, re- move stuffing and refrigerate it in sepa- rate containers. R Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165° F. Microwave leftovers using a lid or vented plastic wrap for thorough heat- ing. K EPTITTOOLONC? When in doubt, throw it out Safe refrigerator and freezer storage time- limits are given for many common foods in the "Cold Storage" table in this booklet. But what about something you totally for- got about and may have kept too long? • Danger— neyer taste food that looks or smells strange to see if you can still use it. Just discard it. • Is it Moldy? Jhe mold you see is only the tip of the iceberg. The poisons molds can form are found under the surface of the food. So, while you can sometimes save hard cheese and salamis and firm fruits and vegetables by cutting the mold out— remove a large area around it, most moldy food should be discarded. Cold storage Refrigerator Freezer Product (40° F) (0°F) Eggs Fresh, in shell 3 weeks Don't freeze Raw yolks, whites 2-4 days 1 year Hardcooked 1 week Don't freeze well Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes, opened 3 days Don't freeze unopened 10 days 1 year Mayonnaise, commercial Refrigerate after opening 2 months Don't freeze TV Dinners, Frozen Casseroles Keep frozen until ready to serve 3-4 months Deli & Vacuum-Packed Products Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, ^ chicken, tuna, ham, macaroni salads 3-5 days Pre-stuffed pork & lamb chops. chicken breasts stuffed with dressing 1 day These products don't Store-cooked convenience meals 1-2 days ^ freeze well Commercial brand vacuum-packed 2 weeks. dinners with USDA seal unopened ^ Soups & Stews Vegetable or meat-added 3-4 days 2-3 months Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meats Hamburger & stew meats 1-2 days 3-4 months Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb & mixtures of them 1-2 days 3-4 months Hotdogs & Lunch Meats Hotdogs, opened package 1 week unopened package 2 weeks In freezer wrap, Lunch meats, opened 3-5 days 1-2 months unopened 2 weeks NOTE: These SHORT but safe time limits will help keep refrigerated food from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. These time limits will keep frozen food at top quality. Bacon & Sausage Bacon /days 1 month Sausage, raw from pork, beef, turkey 1-2 days 1-2 months Smoked breakfast links, patties 7 days 1-2 months Hard sausage— pepperoni, jerky sticks 2-3 weeks 1-2 months Ham, Corned Beef Corned beef Drained, wrapped in pouch with pickling juices 5-7 days 1 month Ham, canned Label says keep refrigerated 6-9 months Don't freeze Ham, fully cooked— whole 7 days 1-2 months Ham, fully cooked— half 3-5 days 1-2 months Ham, fully cooked— slices 3-4 days 1-2 months Fresh Meat Steaks, beef 3-5 days 6-12 months Chops, pork 3-5 days 4-6 months Chops, lamb 3-5 days 6-9 months Roasts, beef 3-5 days 6-12 months Roasts, lamb 3-5 days 6-9 months Roasts, pork & veal 3-5 days 4-6 months Variety meats— Tongue, brain, kidneys, liver, heart, chitterlings 1-2 days 3-4 months Meat Leftovers Cooked meat and meat dishes 3-4 days 2-3 months Gravy and meat broth 1-2 days 2-3 months Fresh Poultry Chicken or turkey, whole 1-2 days 1 year Chicken or turkey pieces 1-2 days 9 months Giblets 1-2 days 3-4 months Cooked Poultry, Leftover Fried chicken Cooked poultry dishes Pieces, plain Pieces covered with broth, gravy Chicken nuggets, patties 3-4 days 3-4 days 3-4 days 1-2 days 1-2 days 4 months 4-6 months 4 months 6 months 1-3 months c 00KIN6 Temperatures Product Fahrenheit Eggs & Egg Dishes Eggs Egg dishes Cook until yolk & white are firm 160 Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures Turkey, chicken 165 Veal, beef, lamb, pork 160 Fresh Beef Medium Rare Medium Well Done 145 160 170 Fresh Veal Medium Rare 145 Medium 160 Well Done 170 Fresh Lamb Medium Rare Medium Well Done 145 160 170 Fresh Pork Medium Well Done 160 170 Poultry Chicken, whole 180 Turkey, whole 180 Poultry breasts, roasts 170 Poultry thighs, wings Cook until juices run clear Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird) 1 65 Duck & Goose 180 p OWERS Out Your Freezer Without power, a full upright or chest freezer will keep everything frozen for about 2 days. A half-full freezer will keep food frozen 1 day. If power will be coming back on fairly soon, you can make the food last longer by keeping the door shut as much as pos- sible. If power will be off for an extended pe- riod, take food to friends' freezers, locate a commercial freezer or use dry ice. Your refrigerator-freezer combination Without power, the refrigerator section will keep food cool 4-6 hours depending on the kitchen temperature. A full, well-functioning freezer unit should keep food frozen for 2 days. A half-full freezer unit should keep things frozen about 1 day. Block ice can keep food on the refrigera- tor shelves cooler. Dry ice can be added to the freezer unit. You can't touch dry ice and you shouldn't breathe the fumes, so follow handling instructions carefully. Thawed food? Food still containing ice crystals or that feels refrigerator-cold can be refrozen. Discard any thawed food that has risen to room temperature and remained there 2 hours or more. Immediately discard any- thing with a strange color or odor. Ham Fresh (raw) 160 Pre-cooked (to reheat) 140 I $ IT Food POISONINC? If you or a family member develop nau- sea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever or cramps, you could have food poisoning. Unfortu- nately, it's not always easy to tell since, depending on the illness, symptoms can appear anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 weeks after eating bad food. Most often, though, people get sick within 4 to 48 hours after eating. In more serious cases, food poisoning victims may have nervous system prob- lems like paralysis, double vision or trouble swallowing or breathing. If symptoms are severe or the victim is very young, old, pregnant, or already ill, call a doctor or go to the hospital right away. w HEN TO REPORT FOODBORNE ILLNESS You or your physician should report seri- ous cases of foodborne illness to the local health department. Report any food poi- soning incidents if the food involved came from a restaurant or commercial outlet. Give a detailed, but short account of the incident. If the food is a commercial prod- uct, have it in hand so you can describe it over the phone. If you're asked to keep the food refriger- ated so officials can examine it later, fol- low directions carefully. F or more information on food handling, call USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-800-535-4555 10-4 weekdays Eastern Time 1 ItiM ^ — ^^^^^ ^^ {! "",,'"' ""n?w Kl ■ — : — witn UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 3 1262 05498 8125 The United States Departneot of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons witfi disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-2791 . To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call (202) 720-7327 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD), USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. UniVERSITY OF FIORIDA 3 1262 08850 3932 ISBN 0-16-042661-8 9 '780160"426612' 90000 How this booklet was developed. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service asked food scientists to analyze consumer handling of food in the home using a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) approach. This booklet, the result of that effort, guides you past those critical points in everyday food handling where experts say making the "wrong" move could lead to foodborne illness. Home and Garden Bulletin No. 248 Revised October 1995 U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents. Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 ISBN 0-16-042661-8