Before we enjoy any meal or snack, we first need to make sure our food is safe to eat.  Since each year it is estimated that 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die, September has become recognized as Food Safety Education Month.  Now is the perfect time to brush up on the recommended food safety practices to ensure we continue to feed our families and friends well. 

Put food safety first by following these four practices:  Separate, Wash, Cook, and Chill - and not always in that order. 

Separate - When placing food in the refrigerator at home, always make sure produce is on the top shelves or in a crisper, followed by red meat, with chicken at the very bottom. This order is related to the temperature each food needs to be cooked to in order to ensure it is safe to eat. Next once ready to prepare and/or cook, use different knives and cutting boards for different foods.  Keep foods that will be cooked separate from those that are ready to eat.

Wash - Prior to consuming, we want to wash our fresh produce items to remove any dirt and germs.  Some items you can wash ahead of time, such as lettuce and grapes, others such as berries, you will want to wash right before eating. Fact:  The added moisture will make berries mold much quicker!  Also, you do not need to wash meat or chicken.  Washing chicken actually spreads more bad germs around than it does help.

Cook - Now it's time to cook! Cooking food to the appropriate temperature is a vital step in food safety.  Since the color or texture of foods is not a good indication that it is cooked, using a thermometer and checking the temperature is the only way to know if a food is ready to eat.  Follow this chart to ensure your foods are cooked to the correct temperature.  Be sure to note 'rest time'.  Rest time is important in ensuring the temperature is the same throughout!

Category	Food	Temperature (°F)	Rest Time
Ground Meat	Beef, pork, veal, lamb Poultry:  turkey, chicken	160 160	None None
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb	Steaks, roasts, chops	145	3 Minutes
Poultry	Chicken, turkey, duck, goose, stuffing in bird	165	None
Pork and Ham	Fresh pork and ham Precooked ham (to reheat)	145 140	3 Minutes None
Eggs & Egg Dishes	Eggs, whole Egg dishes	Cook until egg white is firm 160	None None
Leftovers & Casseroles	Leftovers Casseroles	165 165	None None
Seafood	Fin Fish Shrimp, lobster, and crabs Clams, oysters, and mussels  Scallops	145 Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque.  Cook until shells open during cooking.  Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm.	None None None None

Chill - After a great meal, we 'chill' and our food should too!  Once you have cooked your foods, be sure to place any leftovers in larger, shallow dishes and refrigerate promptly.  Avoid letting food sit out before or after meal times. My rule of thumb is to have food sit out no less than 35 minutes!  Once it has been out of the fridge or cooked, within 35 minutes, I get it into the fridge!  Also, be sure to get your cold foods refrigerated right away once returning home from the store.  

By putting food safety first, you will be on your way to serving safe, nutritious foods.  Happy, healthy eating!

References: 
https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/basics/index.html
https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html

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"This medical and/or nutritional information is not intended to be a substitute for individual advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition."

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Stephanie Edson Regional Wellness Specialist
Stephanie is an award-winning registered dietitian who believes in empowering every individual to make nutritious food choices to support a healthy lifestyle. She believes in the power of food as medicine and loves sharing about nutrition with others.