food safety month

How Food Safe Are You?

Have you ever been at an event or facility and thought, “I wonder what else they’ve touched?” or “I wonder how fresh that is?”  When was the last time you (or someone in your family) had an unexplainable illness or general gastrointestinal distress? You are not alone.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.  These numbers are from 2011, the best data we have right now. I wonder what true 2024 numbers would look like.

 

September is National Food Safety Month, so let’s dig into it and explore what we can do stay safe. The Partnership for Food Safety Education has identified these CORE FOUR food safety practices.

A person washing produce at a sink under running water.

Clean: Keep everything clean. Hands, surfaces, equipment, etc.

  • Wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling and food and after touching pets, changing diapers, using the bathroom, or touching ANYTHING that could contaminate your hands.
  • Wash all kitchen equipment with hot soapy water after each use and before using with another food.
  • Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables under cool running water. Rub/scrub firm skinned produce.
  • Wash/change kitchen towel and wash cloths frequently.

Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate

  • Prevent the spread of illness-causing bacteria by separating raw meat, seafood, poultry, and eggs from produce and other foods in your shopping cart and shopping bags.
  • Continue this separation at home by storing in different parts of the refrigerator and using different cutting boards for each item.
  • Any container/dish that held raw meat must be properly washed and rinsed before it can safety be used for cooked food.

Cook: Always check for a safe internal temperature.

  • The safe minimum internal temperature for each food is high enough to destroy harmful bacteria most associated

    Taking the internal temperature of a turkey using a food thermometer.

    with that food item. An accurate food thermometer is a valuable kitchen tool! Color is not a reliable indicator of doneness.

  • Minimum internal Temperatures:
    • Roasts and steaks – 145 °F
    • All poultry – 165 °F
    • Ground meat (except poultry) – at least 160 °F
    • Fish – 145 °F
    • Cook eggs and dishes containing eggs – 160 °F
    • Reheating anything – 165 °F. Sauces, soups, and gravy can be heated to a boil.
  • When cooking or reheating in a microwave, always cover, stir, and rotate food for even heating.

Chill: Refrigerate quickly.

  • Put perishables away as soon as you get home from the grocery store.
  • Limit the time any perishable food spends at room temperature to not more than two hours (one hour if the temperature is above 90 °F). Any food that has been out longer than this should be discarded.
  • Divide substantial amounts of food into smaller containers for faster cooling.

None of these things are difficult to do. However, when we get busy or distracted, these things can also be some of the first we forget. We really should be celebrating (supporting) food safety every day.

Written by: Kate Shumaker, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Holmes County

Reviewed by: Laura Halladay, Family and Consumer Sciences Program Specialist, Ohio State University Extension

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, November 5). Estimates of foodborne illness in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/index.html

Partnership for Food Safety Education. (n.d.). National Food Safety Education Month. Partnership for Food Safety Education. https://www.fightbac.org/nfsem/

Photos from adobe stock/adobe express