Category Archives: food-safety

Keeping Food Safe During a Power Outage

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Keeping Food Safe During a Power Outage

Be Prepared

Make sure that you have appliance thermometers in both the refrigerator and the freezer. That’s the best way to be sure that your food is safe after a power outage. Safe temperatures are 40°F or lower in the refrigerator, 0°F or lower in the freezer.
If there are warnings of a severe storm on the way, freeze water in one-quart plastic storage bags. They are small enough to fit in around the food in the refrigerator and freezer to help keep food cold and won’t make a mess when the ice melts. Don’t fill them too full or they might split because water expands when it freezes.
Know where you can get dry ice or block ice.
Be sure to have a few days’ worth of ready-to-eat foods that do not require cooking or cooling

When the Power Goes Out

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
A refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if the door is kept closed.
A full freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours (24 hours if half-full). If your freezer is not full, group packages so they form an “igloo” to protect each other.
Place meat and poultry to one side or on a tray so if they begin thawing their juices will not get on other foods.
If the power is going to be out for a long time, buy dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible. Fifty pounds of dry ice should keep a fully-stocked 18-cubic-feet freezer cold for two days.

When Power Comes Back

Check the temperature inside of your refrigerator and freezer. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or leftovers) that has been above 40°F for two hours or more.
Check each item separately. Throw out any food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture, or feels warm to the touch.
When in doubt, throw it out.
With frozen food, check for ice crystals. The food in your freezer that partially or completely thawed may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is 40°F or below.
Never taste a food to decide if it’s safe .

The Best Way to Prevent Food Poisoning

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What is one of the most important thing you can do to fight food poisoning?

It takes only 20 seconds (if you do it the right way).
It requires only 3 ingredients.
Anyone can do it, even very young children.

The answer is Wash Your Hands. Over and over again, studies have shown that handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness—including foodborne illness.
Wash Your Hands the Right Way

When you wash your hands the right way, it takes only 20 seconds and requires only three ingredients: running water, soap, and something to dry your hands (a clean towel or air).

Here’s how to do it:

Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry.

And here’s when to do it:

Before, during, and after preparing food
Before eating food
After using the toilet
After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
Before and after caring for someone who is sick
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching an animal or animal waste
After touching garbage
Before and after treating a cut or wound

What About Hand Sanitizers?

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them. But, if soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer.

Important: Hand sanitizers are not effective if your hands are visibly dirty.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.

Always use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Here’s how to use hand sanitizer properly:

Apply the product to the palm of one hand.
Rub your hands together.
Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.

Developed from an article by By Michael J. Beach, PhD, Associate Director for Healthy Water and Chief, Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC

Top 10 Food Handling Tips

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Top 10 Food Handling Tips
Print out this tip sheet of basic food-safety tips, then post it on your refrigerator or kitchen cabinet so that it’s always handy for quick reference. Make sure everyone in the family – even the babysitter – reads through it before handling food.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub
Always wash your hands with hot soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.

2-Hour Rule
Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers within 2 hours. Do not leave them sitting out at room temperature.

Thaw Law
Always thaw food in the refrigerator. Never defrost food at room temperature on the countertop.

Temperature’s Rising
Cook food to the proper internal temperature and check for doneness with a thermometer. Here are a few basic temps:
FOOD INTERNAL TEMPERATURE
Beef (Ground) 160°F
Chicken or Turkey (Ground) 165°F
Beef, Veal & Lamb
(Roasts, Chops, Steaks) 160-170°F
Pork 160°F
Chicken and Turkey Breasts 170°F
Chicken or Turkey (legs, thighs & wings) 180°F

Cutting Edge Clean
Wash cutting boards and knives with hot soapy water after food preparation, especially after cutting raw meat, poultry or seafood. Sanitize cutting boards and counters with a dilute bleach solution – Add 2/3 cup bleach to a gallon of water; put in a spray bottle for easy use.

Raw Deal
Never place food on the same plate or cutting board that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood unless the cutting board has been thoroughly washed.

The Eyes Have It
Use visual signs of doneness when a thermometer is not used:
·Steam rises from food
·Clear juices run from meat and poultry, not pink
·Pork, veal and poultry are white inside, not pink or red
·Shellfish is opaque and fish flakes easily with a fork
·Egg yolks are firm, not runny, and egg whites are opaque

Bottom Line
Store raw meat, poultry and seafood tightly wrapped on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. This prevents the raw juices from dripping on other food.

Mindful Marinating
Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the countertop. Discard leftover marinades that have been used with raw meat, poultry or seafood.

Towel Turnover
Replace and wash dish towels and sponges often to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria throughout the kitchen. Use paper towels to dry washed hands after handling raw foods.

Safe Baby Formula Rules

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If you feed your baby using infant formula, it’s important to know the facts.

All manufacturers of infant formula sold in the U.S. must register with FDA which sets standards to ensure the nutritional quality and safety of infant formula.

Formula — whether powder, liquid concentrate, or ready-to-feed — can become contaminated during preparation and handling.

Safe Preparation

Handwashing is the first step — don’t spread bacteria on your hands to your baby. Wash your hands often with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, especially before and after preparing formula.

Prepare formula in a clean area to prevent cross-contamination when bacteria are spread from one food product to another.

Sterilize bottles in boiling water before first use — after that they can be safely washed and dried in a dishwasher.

Don’t sterilize nipples in boiling water or wash them in a dishwasher. Heat breaks down the latex in nipples, so wash them by hand with hot soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and air dry.
It’s usually safe to mix formula using cold tap water that’s been boiled for one minute and cooled to body temperature just before feeding. Water that is not cooled can cause serious burns. Keep the water covered while cooling to prevent contamination with bacteria.
If you use bottled water for formula preparation, remember that most bottled water is not sterile so follow the same boiling and cooling procedure.
Use the exact amount of formula and water as directed on the label, mix only enough for one feeding, and prepare it immediately before feeding. Follow label instructions carefully. If a lot of formula is prepared and not properly refrigerated, bacteria can multiply to very large numbers. The more bacteria there are, the greater the chance for foodborne illness. Preparing formula in smaller quantities on an as-needed basis greatly reduces the possibility of contamination.

Safe Use

Don’t leave formula out at room temperature for more than two hours. Discard formula that’s been left out longer.
If you need to warm formula, the best way is to put the bottle in a small pan of water and heat it on the stove until body temperature. Shake the bottle before feeding. Never use microwave ovens because microwaving can heat the formula unevenly and cause hot spots to develop, even though the bottle and the rest of the formula remain cool.
Don’t feed infant formula after the “Use By” date on the label. Manufacturers guarantee the nutrient content and the quality of the formula only up to the use by date. If you buy formula by the case, make sure the lot numbers and use by dates on the containers and boxes match.
Follow the storage instructions on the container.
Don’t save unfinished formula. Bacteria from a baby’s mouth can be introduced into the bottle during feeding and they can grow even if leftover formula is refrigerated.
Freezing is not recommended because it may cause the formula’s components to separate.

Homemade and Counterfeit Formula

FDA does not regulate recipes for homemade formula and does not recommend making formula at home. Errors in selecting and combining ingredients for homemade formula can have serious consequences for the health of infants.
Counterfeit Formula products are sometimes diverted from normal distribution channels and relabeled to misrepresent quality or identity–altering the “Use By” date for example, or relabeling to disguise the true content. Always purchase infant formula from a licensed, reputable retailer.

Proper Food Storage is Essential to Prevent Food Borne Illnesses

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storing food

Proper food storage is essential to prevent food borne illnesses, the US Food and Drug Administration says.

Keeping foods chilled at proper temperatures is one of the best ways to prevent or slow the growth of bacteria that can make you and others sick.

Refrigerate or freeze perishable foods as soon as possible. Never allow meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, produce or other foods that require refrigeration to sit at room temperature for more than two hours. The limit is one hour if the temperature is above 32 degrees Celsius. This also includes leftovers, take-out foods and “doggie bags”.

When putting food away, don’t crowd the refrigerator or freezer so tightly that air can’t circulate. Keep your appliances at the proper temperatures – at or below 4 degrees Celsius for the refrigerator and -17 degrees Celsius for the freezer.

Check storage directions of food labels. Many items other than meats, vegetables and dairy products need to be kept cold. If something wasn’t properly refrigerated, it’s usually best to throw it out.

Consume ready-to-eat foods such as lunch meats as soon as possible. The longer they’re stored in the refrigerator, the greater the risk that harmful bacteria can grow.

Be alert for spoiled food and throw out anything that looks or smells suspicious.

If you lose electricity, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Your refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it’s unopened. A full freezer will keep a safe temperature for about 48 hours if the door is not opened.

Checked canned goods for damage, which is evident by swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting, or crushing or denting severe enough to prevent normal stacking or opening with a manual, wheel-type opener. Newly bought cans with damage should be returned to the store for a refund or exchange and older ones should be thrown away.

Don’t store foods, such as potatoes or onions, under the sink. Leakage from the pipes can damage the food. Store potatoes and onions in a cool, dry place. Never store food near household cleaning products and chemicals.