Food Safety For YOU! 2007 Edition

Don't Go There! Inside the DANGER ZONE

Apply the Heat Chart Fish is properly cooked when it flakes easily with a fork

It's important to keep food below or above the danger zone, the temperatures at which bacteria can grow. This is usually between 40° and 140° F (4° and 60° C). Some pathogenic bacteria can grow at 32° F (0° C), the temperature at which water freezes. So remember the 2-Hour Rule: Discard any perishable foods left out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. When temperatures are above 90° F (32°C), discard food after 1 hour!

The temperatures shown in the chart at right are recommended for consumer cooking. They are not intended for processing, institutional, or foodservice preparation.

Putting the 2-Hour Rule into Action

HOT FOODS: When you purchase hot cooked food, keep it hot. Eat and enjoy your food within 2 hours to prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying.

If you're not eating a food within 2 hours -- and you want to keep it hot -- keep the food in the oven with the temperature set at or above 140° F (60° C). Use a food thermometer to check the temperature. Side dishes, like stuffing, must also stay hot in the oven. Covering food will help keep it moist.

COLD FOODS should be eaten within 2 hours of preparation, or refrigerated or frozen for eating at another time.

Many foodborne illnesses probably occur at home. To test this theory, the Food and Drug Administration funded a survey in which scientists videotaped families preparing food in their kitchens. The 100 families initially thought they were being taped on how to make a specific recipe, and they also thought their kitchens were relatively "food-safe." What scientists discovered suggests why foodborne illness hits home for so many Americans.

One woman handled raw chicken and then fixed a baby's bottle without washing her hands.	Dozens of people dried their hands with the same dish towel they used to clean up raw meat juices.	One person dropped a baby's bottle in raw eggs and neglected to use soap when they rinsed the bottle off.	Only 45% of the people washed their hands before working in the kitchen and 16% of those who washed didn't use soap.	30% did not wash the lettuce they used, and some placed salad ingredients in raw-meat- contaminated containers.	25% of the people didn't know how to tell if chicken was cooked to a safe internal temperature, so they undercooked it.

Don't Get Caught!
If your food preparation and handling practices were "captured on tape," how well would you do?

Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide

Hypertext updated by dms 2008-JUL-06