Food safety tips

[mohsina]

List of Tips On Food Safety To Prevent Illness Caused by Bacteria Contamination in Foods:

• Washing hands, cooking foods to proper temperatures, and storing food are key to         preventing food borne illness.
• Rinse fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Dry with a paper towel.
• Washing hands is the number 1 way to prevent getting sick. Teach your children to always wash their hands.
• Meat quality can be affected when thawing in the microwave, but this is an acceptable way to defrost meat.
• Wash insulated lunch totes or boxes with hot soapy water after each use.
• Your child’s lunch could include perishable items (sandwiches, fresh fruit) and shelf-stable items (packaged pudding). Use an insulated lunch box, with an insulated bottle for hot foods or a frozen gel pack or a frozen juice box to keep foods cold.
• When packing egg or meat sandwiches for school lunches, include an ice pack to ensure these items stay cold.
• Use leftovers for school lunch. If your child ate the beef stew last night for dinner, serve it up for lunch (place an ice pack in the lunch box though to prevent food illness).
• Avoid bacteria by buying foods that need to be refrigerated last when you are grocery shopping.
• Defrost meat in the refrigerator is a good food safety practice.
• Scrub the cantaloupe before slicing into it to prevent bacteria contamination.
• If lunches are made at home the night before, keep them in the refrigerator until it’s time to go. Make sure the refrigerator is 40° F or below at all times and use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature.
• Use a separate cutting board when slicing meat and vegetables to prevent cross contamination of bacteria.
• While shopping for food, check out the sell by dates to make sure they are current.