Get the Facts About Food Safety for You and Your Family
Food Safety Guide
For more information about safe food handling and preparation, contact:
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
(800) 535-4555
10 am - 4 pm ET,
Monday - Friday
Recorded messages available 24 hours a day
FDA Center for Food Safety
(800) 723-3366
Recorded messages and fax service available 24 hours a day
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
April 2004 — Affecting an estimated 76 million Americans each year, foodborne disease is typically mild, causing symptoms for only a day or two. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, an estimated 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths result from more serious cases every year.
How can you protect yourself and your loved ones from such illness? With all the concern over issues such as mad cow disease, how do you know what is safe to eat and what is not?
It starts with education and safe food handling practices.
What Meat Is Safe to Eat?
The Food and Drug Administration, which ensures the safety of the food supply, says that it is safe to eat beef and the other food products that originate in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has instituted preventive measures to protect the human food supply. In addition, meats that originate from countries where mad cow disease — or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) — is known to exist are banned in the United States.
If you're still concerned, the best way to avoid any risk of eating infected beef is to be selective when choosing meats. The parts of cows that have the highest risk include the brains, eyes, spinal cord and related tissues. Processed meats, such as sausage and ground beef, tend to include parts from multiple cows and may pose a higher risk.
Alternative beef choices include organic beef products. These products come from cows fed grain and grass rather than feed containing parts of other animals. Certified organic beef is labeled with a green circular symbol and can be found at natural food stores and larger grocery stores.
The milk and muscles of cows are not considered a concern. Milk, therefore, is safe to drink.
Avoiding Other Foodborne Illness
According to food safety experts, the bigger concern is that home-based foodborne illnesses are on the rise. The primary culprit? Today's busy families may not be as familiar with safe food handling and preparation as previous generations.
In the past, families were more home-focused, and food preparation was a more prominent and carefully planned part of their daily routine. Today, convenience foods and their quick preparation may mislead consumers into thinking that all food can be quickly thawed, cooked and consumed.
To help protect against food borne illness, follow the four Cs of food safety:
Clean:
- Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling food.
- Wash your cutting boards, utensils and countertops with hot soapy water before and after handling each food item.
- Use plastic or non-porous cutting boards only.
Cook:
- Cook roasts and steak to at least 145ºF and poultry to 180ºF.
- Cook ground beef to at least 160 ºF — if ground beef is still pink inside, do not eat it.
- Cook eggs until both yolk and white are firm. Avoid recipes that call for raw or partially cooked eggs.
- Cook fish until it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
- Heat leftovers to at least 165 ºF and bring gravy and sauces to a boil when reheating.
Cover:
- The only time food should be uncovered is when you're eating it!
- Keep food from cross-contaminating by making sure juices don't mix and parts don't touch.
Chill:
- Set your refrigerator no higher than 40 ºF and your freezer at 0 ºF.
- Cold temperatures keep bacteria from growing and multiplying.
- Keep raw and cooked food separate leftovers within two hours.
- Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours.
- Defrost food in the refrigerator, under cold, running water or in the microwave — never defrost food at room temperature.
- Marinate foods in the refrigerator.
If you have questions about foodborne illness, speak to your physician. For referral to a physician, call the Memorial Physician Referral Service at (800) 944-DOCS.