The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA works hand in hand with the FDA and CDC to keep the U.S. food supply safe and healthy. Together, these agencies monitor everything from farms to grocery stores to help prevent foodborne illness.

The FoodSafety.gov website connects consumers with reliable, science-based information on how to handle, store, and cook food safely.

You can usually see or smell mold, but harmful bacteria are invisible—they can’t be seen, smelled, or tasted. That’s why following safe food handling practices is essential to protect yourself and your family from foodborne diseases.

Four Steps For Food Safety

Safe food handling is key to preventing foodborne illness. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Food Safety office highlights four essential steps for keeping food safe from kitchen to table.

1. Clean.
Wash your hands thoroughly and often. Clean all surfaces and utensils after each use. Rinse fruits and vegetables—even those you plan to peel.  👉 Learn more: FDA’s [Clean Infographic]

2. Separate.
Avoid cross-contamination. Use different cutting boards for raw meats, seafood, eggs, and produce. Store raw and cooked foods separately in the refrigerator.  👉 Learn more: FDA’s [Separate Infographic]

3. Cook.
Heat foods to the right temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Use a food thermometer to check doneness and keep hot foods hot until served.   👉 Learn more: FDA’s [Cook Infographic]

4. Chill.
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours (one hour if it’s hot outside). Never thaw or marinate food on the counter—always use the fridge or cold water method.   👉 Learn more: FDA’s [Chill Infographic]

For detailed food safety tips, visit FoodSafety.gov.^[1]

Global Perspective: the WHO’s Five Keys to Food Safety

The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes a similar approach through its Five Keys to Food Safety. The first four match the U.S. steps above—Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill—but WHO adds a fifth key: Use safe water and raw materials.

In many parts of the world, contaminated water is a major cause of foodborne illness. Using unsafe water for drinking or washing food leads to millions of infections and deaths each year, particularly among infants and children.

Handwashing

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us the importance of handwashing, which is the first line of defense against foodborne illnesses.   Proper handwashing reduces the spread of many respiratory and diarrheal infections from one person to the next.

The CDC, FDA, and USDA recommend washing hands frequently, including:

• Before, during, and after preparing food.
• Before and after eating food, caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea, and treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet, changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet, blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, touching an animal or garbage
  

Five Steps to Proper Handwashing

There’s a right and a wrong way to wash your hands. The wrong way is turning the tap on with your dirty hands, sticking your hands under the water for a second, turning off the tap, and drying your hands on your shirt. That may be a speedy way, but it does nothing to destroy the microbes on your hands, and you are recontaminating them by using your shirt as a drying cloth.

The appropriate method requires soap and takes about one minute to complete. The CDC recommends the following five steps:

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap , and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air-dry them.

The CDC, FDA, and USDA recommend washing hands frequently, including:

• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before and after eating food, caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea, and treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet, changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet, blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, touching an animal or garbage ^[2]

The Pros and Cons of Hand Sanitizers 

How to Use Hand Sanitizer

1. Apply the gel to the palm of one hand (refer to the label for the correct amount).
2. Rub your hands together.
3. Rub the gel over your hands and fingers (and under your fingernails) until your hands are dry. The process takes around 20 seconds.

Food Safety When Buying Food

Buy food from reputable grocers with clean, sanitary facilities. Before buying food, scrutinize it and consider the following:

• Do not buy canned goods with dents or bulges; bulging is a sign of Clostridium botulinum contamination.
• Examine cured and cooked meats for mold.
• Avoid torn, crushed, or open food packages.
• Do not buy food with frost or ice crystals, as this indicates the product is old or has been thawed and refrozen.
• Put fresh meat, poultry, and seafood separate from other items in your shopping cart to avoid cross-contamination.

Storing Food to Keep It Safe

Refrigerate perishable foods quickly, within two hours. Keep the refrigerator temperature at 40°F (or 4°C) or colder. Other storage recommendations are:

• Store eggs in a carton on a shelf in the refrigerator, not on the door, where the temperature is warmest.
• Wrap meat packages tightly and store them at the bottom of the refrigerator so that juices won’t leak out onto other foods.
• Keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood in a refrigerator for no longer than two days. Otherwise, store the items in the freezer at 0°F (or −18°C).
• Store potatoes and onions in a cool, dark place, but not under a sink, as pipe leakage could contaminate them.
• After opening cans of food, place them in storage containers and refrigerate them promptly. 
• Eat leftovers within three to five days so mold does not have a chance to grow.

Another important aspect is knowing when to keep food and when to discard it.  The Still Tasty website explains how long refrigerated food remains fresh.

Preparing Raw Foods Safely

To help prevent cross-contamination, wash hands thoroughly before preparing food and every time after handling raw foods. Other food prep recommendations include:

• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water to clean off dirt and pesticide residue^[3].
• Defrost meat, poultry, and seafood in the refrigerator, microwave, or in a water-tight plastic bag submerged in cold water.
• Never defrost at room temperature, as that is ideal for bacterial growth.
• Marinate foods in the refrigerator and discard leftover marinade after use because it contains raw juices.
• Always use clean cutting boards, which should be washed by hand with soap and warm water after each use, or sanitized with a solution of 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) of chlorine bleach to about 1 liter (1 quart) of water.
• Use separate cutting boards for fresh produce and raw meat.
• Wash the top before opening canned foods to prevent dirt from contaminating the food.

Preventing Contamination in Cooked Foods

Cooked food is safe to eat only after it has been heated to an internal temperature that is high enough to kill bacteria. You cannot judge the state of “cooked” by color and texture alone. Instead, use a food thermometer to be sure.

The appropriate minimum cooking temperature varies depending on the type of food:

• Seafood to 145°F
• Beef, lamb, and pork to 160°F
• Ground chicken and turkey to 165°F
• Poultry breasts to 165°F
• Whole poultry and thighs to 180°F.

When microwaving, rotate the dish and stir the contents several times to ensure even cooking.

Serving and Storing Food Safely

The likelihood of bacterial growth increases as the temperature of cooked foods drops. So, hot foods should be kept above the safe temperature of 140°F, using a heat source such as a chafing dish, warming tray, or slow cooker. Kee cold foods at 40°F or lower.

Keep all foods covered to prevent exposure to any mold spores in the air when serving. Use plastic wrap to cover foods you want to remain moist, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads. After a meal, do not keep leftovers at room temperature for more than two hours. Leftovers should be refrigerated as promptly as possible. It is also helpful to date leftovers so they can be used safely for 3 to 5 days when stored in a refrigerator.

attributions

This chapter is an adaptation of “Chapter 17. Food Safety” in Human Nutrition:2020 Edition by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Food Science and Human Nutrition Program licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.