Four Simple Steps to Food Safety

According to the "Fight BAC" four-step program from the Partnership For Food Safety Education, commercial food preparers should practice the four simple steps to food safety:

Clean and wash hands and surfaces often. Use hot, soapy water before and after food preparation, bathroom use, changing diapers and handling pets. Also wash fruits and vegetables under cool running water. Don't assume that packaged salad mixes and veggies have been pre-washed.

Separate - Don't cross contaminate. Keep raw poultry, meat and seafood and their juices away from other foods. Store these items on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so the juices don't drip onto other foods. Never place cooked meat on a platter that held raw meat without washing in between.

Cook to proper temperatures. Use a meat thermometer to ensure meat is cooked all the way through. Cook poultry to 82c degrees, roasts and steaks to 62c degrees and ground meats to 72c degrees. Cook eggs till firm, not runny, and fish until opaque and flaking easily with a fork. It is best to cook stuffings and meats separately.

Chill/refrigerate promptly. Cold temperatures keep the most harmful contaminants from multiplying as rapidly. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, fruits and vegetables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours. Don't defrost foods on the kitchen counter - use the refrigerator or place under cool, running water, or use the microwave oven's defrost setting. Divide large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator. If you must cook stuffed meat, unstuff it and refrigerate in separate containers