Food Safety For YOU! 2007 Edition

The "411" On the 4 Cs!

CLEAN

Wash hands and surfaces often

CLEAN   |   COOK   |   SEPARATE   |   CHILL

You can't see, taste, or smell them. They're sneaky little critters, and they can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, utensils, sponges, countertops, and food. They're foodborne bacteria and if eaten, they can cause foodborne illness.

Use these TIPS to keep your hands, surfaces, and utensils squeaky clean!

Wash Up!

• Make sure there's handwashing soap and paper towels or a clean cloth at every sink in your home.

• Wash your hands with hot, soapy water (for at least 20 seconds) before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, or handling pets. Thoroughly scrub hands, wrists, fingernails, and in between fingers. Rinse and dry hands with paper towels or a clean cloth.

Fruits & Veggies

• Rinse raw produce under running water. Don't use soap, detergents, or bleach solutions. For thick or rough-skinned vegetables and fruits, use a small vegetable brush to remove surface dirt. Try to cut away any damaged or bruised areas on produce. Bacteria can thrive in these places.

• Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces and throw the germs away with the towels. If you use cloth towels, launder them often, using hot water. Note: Don't dry your hands with a towel that was previously used to clean up raw meat, poultry, or seafood juices.

• Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food. Periodically, kitchen sanitizers can be used for added protection against bacteria. You can also use one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach per quart of clean water to sanitize surfaces. The bleach solution needs to sit on the surface to be sanitized for about 10 minutes to be effective.

• Replace excessively worn cutting boards (including plastic, non-porous acrylic, and wooden boards). Bacteria can grow in the hard-to-clean grooves and cracks.

• In your refrigerator, wipe up spills immediately, clean refrigerator surfaces with hot, soapy water, and, once a week, throw out perishable foods that should no longer be eaten.

• Keep pets off kitchen counters and away from food.

20% of consumers don't wash hands and kitchen surfaces before preparing food. Clean hands and surfaces are your first step in safe food handling.

CLEAN   |   COOK   |   SEPARATE   |   CHILL

Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide