A.W.E HEALTH STYLES

Nutrition Education Series

Hi Angels Working On Earth Family!

A critical part of healthy eating is keeping food safe. By following four basic safe food handling practices, you can reduce contaminants, keep food safe and reduce foodborne illness. The four basic tips are CLEAN, SEPARATE, COOK, AND CHILL.

1. Clean

There is a process that we must apply to reduce foodborne illnesses. During the cleaning process, we must wash our hands under warm water, rub hands together to make a lather, and scrub parts of the hand for 20 minutes. Rinse hands and dry using a paper towel. Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet. Next, sanitize surfaces with soapy water. 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. At least once a week, throw out refrigerated foods that are no longer eaten. Cooked leftovers should be discarded after 4 days and raw poultry and ground meat, 1 to 2 days. Next, keep appliances clean, and pay particular attention to buttons and handles. Lastly, rinse produce to prevent microbes from transferring from the outside to the inside of the product.

2. Separate

The next phase is to separate foods. Place raw seafood, meat, and poultry in plastic bags. Store them below ready-to-eat foods in your refrigerator. Never place cooked food back on the same plate or cutting board that previously held raw food.

3. Cook & Chill

When cooking food be sure to use a food thermometer to ensure food is cooked properly and held at a proper temperature until eaten.

4.Chill

Hold cold food at 40 F or below. Keep hot food at 140 F. Foods are no longer safe to eat when they have been in the danger zone, between 40-140 F for more than 2 hours.

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