2007 Year in Review

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Spring Food Safety Tips

Spring is a good time to take a fresh look at food safety habits. No matter the foods you are handling in spring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline recommends following four basic food safety principles of clean, separate, cook and chill.

Briefly, clean stresses washing hands and surfaces often. Separate emphasizes keeping raw and cooked foods away from each other to prevent cross-contamination in storage and preparation. Cook refers to cooking food to a safe temperature and checking temperatures with a food thermometer. Chill reminds us to refrigerate or freeze food promptly after purchase, preparation, and service.

In addition, if preparing food for an at-risk group (very young, seniors, those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women), be sure the food is reheated to the proper temperatures. Normally foods are reheated to 165 degrees F.

Just as April showers lead to May flowers, remember: Sprucing up your food safety practices in the spring leads to safe food practices throughout the year. For more information on food safety, contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MFPHotline or visit the USDA website at: Food Safety and Inspection Service or Food Safety.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
April 19, 2007

 

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