Chill

Keep your refrigerator temperature between 32 °F and 40 °F.

• Cold temperatures help keep food safe and prevent spoilage.

Put hot leftover food in shallow containers in the refrigerator to cool.

• Place hot leftovers in shallow containers (less than 3 inches deep) in the refrigerator so they cool quickly.
• Once leftovers have cooled, cover with a lid or plastic wrap to prevent contamination.

Refrigerate fresh meat, chicken and turkey and use it within 5 days. Refrigerate fresh fish and use it within 1 to 2 days.

• Refrigerate fresh meats and use within a few days, or freeze for later use.
• Carefully wrap and label food that you store in the freezer and use it within one year.

Thaw frozen meat, chicken, turkey and fish in the refrigerator, never on the counter.

• Thaw frozen meats, covered, on a plate or in a pan in the refrigerator.
• To quickly thaw meat, chicken, turkey and fish, use a microwave oven or place under cold running water in your sink. Cooked thawed meat right away.

Refrigerate meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk and cheese right away when you bring them home from the grocery store.

• Don't leave these foods out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. If they are left out longer they should be thrown away. Keep cold foods cold!

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Cook

Use a thermometer to make sure you have cooked meat, wild game, chicken, turkey and fish thoroughly.

• Cook to the following temperatures:
  • Beef, venison or lamb roast 145 °F
  • Pork roasts and chops 160 °F
  • Ground beef, pork, or venison 160 °F
  • Whole chicken or turkey 180 °F
  • Chicken or turkey breasts or thighs 170 °F
  • Cook fish to 160°F, or until the flesh flakes easily with a fork.

Cook eggs until the whites and yolk are firm, not soft or runny.

• Raw or under-cooked eggs can make you sick. Do not use recipes in which eggs are not cooked and do not eat raw dough that contains eggs.

Cook and reheat foods thoroughly when using a microwave oven.

• Stir or rotate food during heating so that food cooks or reheats evenly.
• Reheat foods to 165 °F, or until they are bubbling and hot.
  Store perishable food in the refrigerator, not in the microwave
  

Separate

After cutting up raw meat, chicken and fish, clean your cutting board with hot soapy water and rinse with clean water.

• Wash cutting boards and knives with soap and warm water to remove harmful bacteria, then rinse with clean water.
• Sanitize with a bleach solution: 1 teaspoon bleach in 4 cups of water.

Put cooked or grilled meat onto a clean plate, not the plate that held the raw meat.

• Wash plates and silverware that touched raw meat with soap and warm water to remove germs.

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Clean

Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm, soapy water before eating or handling food.

• Wash hands after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, coughing, sneezing, or taking out the garbage.
• Wash hands after handling raw meat, chicken, fish and eggs.

Wash fresh fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them.

• Use clear running water, and scrub the surface of items like carrots and potatoes with your fingers. Do not use soap.

Clean up kitchen spills right away.

• Clean up spills with paper towels instead of cloth towels or sponges, then wash the area with warm, soapy water.

Wash dishes in hot, soapy water, rinse with clean water and air dry.

• Wash dishes with warm soapy water after every meal. Wash cutting boards, silverware and utensils too. Allow to air dry.

Keep garbage covered and empty it as soon as it is full.

• Empty the garbage can as soon as it is full.

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Store

Check your cupboards every few weeks and bring old canned goods to the front so that you will remember to use them.

• For best quality, use dry cereals or packages of food like juice boxes or salad dressing by the ‘Best By’ or ‘Purchase By’ date on the label. These foods will still be safe to eat after these dates, but they may not taste as good.

Use cans of food that are not bulging, rusted, leaking or heavily dented.

• Discard bulging or swollen cans, heavily rusted cans and deeply dented cans. The product in these cans is no longer safe to eat.

Store household chemicals away from food and out of reach of children.

• Store chemicals like bleach and cleansers in a locked cabinet, away from food.
• Store household chemicals in the container they came in. Don’t transfer chemicals to soda bottles or food containers. Children might think they are food.