Now that you have the tools, you can help educate others in the prevention of pathogens in our food. Food safety education gives us the control to protect ourselves from foodborne illnesses.

Table of Contents for Food Safety Who Needs Food Safety Education? Common Food Safety Mistakes at Home A Food Safe Kitchen Purchasing Food Home Storage Preparing Safe Food Serving Safe Food Leftover Handling Summary Review questions Back to Nutrition Curriculum Lessons

Serving Safe Food

• Always wash hands with soap and water before serving food.
• Always use clean plates and utensils. Avoid using your fingers to pick food up. Use a clean plate for cooked foods. Never use the same plate that contained the raw food before cooking.
• Keep hot foods hot (above 140 degrees F) and cold foods cold (below 40 degrees F).
• Never leave foods, raw or cooked, at room temperature longer than two hours. If temperatures are above 90 degrees F, decrease this time to one hour.

Leftover Handling

• Always wash hands with soap and water before handling leftovers.
• Always use clean plates and utensils.
• Quickly cool leftovers by dividing into small amounts and storing in the refrigerator in shallow containers. Refrigerate within two hours after cooking.
• Reheat all leftovers to 165 degrees F or until hot and steamy. Soups, sauces and gravies should be brought to a rolling boil.
• If in doubt, throw it out!!!

Summary

In conclusion, The Partnership for Food Safety Education has come up with these four slogans to Fight BAC! in their efforts to reduce the risk of foodborne illness:

• Clean: Wash hands and surfaces often;
• Separate: don't cross-contaminate;
• Cook: Cook to proper temperatures; and
• Chill: Refrigerate promptly.

Now that you have the tools, you can help educate others in the prevention of pathogens in our food. Food safety education gives us the control to protect ourselves from foodborne illnesses. To stay abreast of food safety research, regulations and education issues, check out these on-line resources

FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service

The Food Safety Consortium

International Food Information Council

International Meat and Poultry HAACP Alliance

Partnership for Food Safety Education