The USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone travels to Notre Dame, Indiana, September 3-4, 2010, to meet the “Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.”

The University of Notre Dame is one of the largest, most historical, and most recognized names in college football. The team plays its home games on the University of Notre Dame’s campus at Notre Dame Stadium. The stadium has a capacity of 80,795 fans. What an outreach opportunity for the Discovery Zone! Read more »

“This a great exhibit!” a family commented as they toured the USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone at the Illinois State Fair last weekend. “This truck is great, I learned a lot of things I never even knew before, wattages and temperatures. Heck, I always over cooked my chicken, now I won’t!” Read more »

A school group poses in front of the Food Safety Discovery Zone after learning to Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

This weekend, USDA’s Food Safety Discovery Zone is stopped at the Iowa State Fair, and the Discovery Zone’s staff of U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officers, is relishing the opportunities for food safety lessons that the fair environment provides. Daytime temperatures are exceeding the 90-degree mark, sparking discussions about how to keep food safe in hot weather, and the intense crowd means the Discovery Zone’s message is reaching tons of people. Read more »

It’s that time of year again, when we all make promises to “do better” or “do more” in the new year. These may include getting more exercise, doing more reading, or eating better. But one of the most important resolutions for you and your family is to improve food safety in your home and workplace. 

Here are just a few food safety resolutions for 2010:

• Buy a food thermometer. You’ve been told to do it. You’ve thought about it. This year, do it. Using a food thermometer is the only way to know if meat, poultry and fish are cooked to a safe temperature. You can’t tell just by looking at the color.
• Use appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer. The temperature in the refrigerator should be below 40 degrees F; the freezer should be 0 degrees F or below.  These settings ensure food stays out of the “Danger Zone” where bacteria multiply.
• Do not leave pizza sitting out for longer than two hours. Foods that sit out for more than two hours at room temperature–or 1 hour if the room or outdoor temperature is over 90 degrees F–can support bacteria growth.
• When in doubt, throw it out. If you’re not sure if your food has been sitting out too long, throw it away.  Remember, your health is worth more than the cost of any food you try to save.
• Keep your hands clean. This cannot be stressed enough. Clean hands prevent the transfer of bacteria to other surfaces or food items and prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water before and after preparing food, using the bathroom, changing diapers and touching pets.
• Toss leftovers and take-out or ready-to-eat foods that have been sitting in your refrigerator for four days or longer.
• Don’t get rid of old leftovers or take-out food by feeding it to your pets! Pets can get foodborne illness just as we can. If you shouldn’t eat it, then your pet shouldn’t eat it either.

Make this New Year a safe one by promising to follow proper food handling, preparation and storage practices. This is one resolution it’s important to keep all year—for yourself and your family.

If you have food safety questions, you can contact “Ask Karen,” our virtual representative, at www.askkaren.gov; call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline and speak to a live representative at 1-888-674-6854, TTY: 1-800-256-7027; or type a question on our “Live Chat” site at http://askkaren.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/askkaren.cfg/php/enduser/chat.php. Visit www.foodsafety.gov for safety information on all types of foods.