Four steps toward safer food
1 Clean
•Wash hands for 20 seconds with
soap and running water
•Wash utensils, cutting boards and
other cooking surfaces with hot,
soapy water after preparing a food
item and before preparing the next
item
•Wash fruits and vegetables
properly:
◦Cut
◦ off damaged or bruised areas
◦Rinse
◦
under running water and
scrub with a clean produce brush
◦Dry
◦ produce with clean towel
◦Do
◦ not wash meat or eggs
2Separate
• From the time you are shopping
to the time you store foods in your
home freezer or refrigerator, keep
raw meats and eggs separate from
other foods
•When storing raw meats in
a refrigerator, store food in
containers or sealed plastic bags
•Designate separate cutting boards
for produce and raw meat and do
not interchange ingredients on
them
•Use separate utensils and plates for
raw and cooked foods
3Cook
• Use a food thermometer to
find out if food is done cooking,
compare with this Minimum
Cooking Temperatures chart
•When using a microwave, stir your
food in the middle of heating and
let stand for the directed time a
package or recipe directs
•If food will not be served right
away, keep it warm with a heating
source such as a chafing dish or
slow cooker; Keeping food at 140°F
or above will keep bacteria from
growing in your food
4Chill
• Let your cooked foods cool and
place them in your refrigerator
within two hours
•A refrigerator should hold items at
a temperature between 32°F and
40°F; a freezer should hold items at
0°F or below
•Do not thaw frozen meats on a
counter
•Thaw frozen foods in the
refrigerator in a container, in the
microwave or with cold water
(change water every 30 minutes)
For more information regarding safe food practices, visit foodsafety.gov
CSU Stanislaus Police(209) 667-3114
facebook.com/csuspolice
csustan.edu/upd