Search Results for: leftovers

BAC to School: Pack a Safe Lunch 101

When it’s back-to-school time, Fight BAC! wants to remind parents and families across the country that the first important lesson of the school year is packing a safe lunch. All it takes is a quick refresher course:

When it’s time to handle food for your child’s lunch, remember to always keep it clean. Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. Use hot water and soap to make sure food preparation surfaces and utensils are clean.
Your child’s lunch could include perishable items (sandwiches, fresh fruit) and shelf-stable items (crackers, packaged pudding). Perishable items need to be kept chilled to reduce risk of foodborne illness.
Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Blot dry with a paper towel before packing them in your child’s lunch.
You can prepare sandwiches or other perishable items the night before. Store lunch items in the refrigerator until your child is ready to go to school.
Insulated, soft-sided lunch totes are best for keeping perishable foods chilled. Two cold sources, such as a small frozen gel pack or frozen juice box, should be packed with perishable foods. Frozen gel packs will keep foods cold until lunchtime, but are not recommended for all day storage.
Keep hot foods hot by using an insulated bottle. Fill the bottle with boiling water and let it stand for a few minutes. Empty the bottle and then fill it with piping hot food. Keep the bottle closed until lunchtime.
Make sure your child knows to throw out all used food packaging and perishable leftovers. Do not reuse plastic bags as they could contaminate other foods leading to foodborne illness.
Tell your child to use the refrigerator at school, if one is available. If not, make sure he or she keeps the lunch out of direct sunlight and away from radiators, baseboards and other heat sources found in the classroom.

Download a School Lunch Food Safety Tips Flyer

Safety in All Seasons

Spring Food Safety

Summer Food Safety

Fall Food Safety

Winter Food Safety

Spring Food Safety

Spring Clean Your Way to a Safer Kitchen

When you’re shaking off the winter with spring cleaning, it’s a great time to target harmful bacteria that can lurk on kitchen surfaces and even in your refrigerator. Get tips for a safer kitchen this spring.

Egg-stra Care for Spring Celebrations

Like meat, poultry, seafood and produce, eggs are perishable and need to be handled properly to prevent foodborne illness. Find out everything you need to know about egg safety for spring celebrations.

Summer Food Safety

Summer Grilling Graphics

Download easy and shareable graphics to remind consumers what temperatures the most popular grilling meats need to reach to be safe.

Summer Without Salmonella

Cases of foodborne illness spike in the summer. But with these flyers and graphics, we can spread the word about ways to reduce incidence of Salmonella infections.

Seven Super Steps to Safe Food in the Summer

During warm weather, it is especially important to take extra precautions and practice safe food handling when preparing perishable foods such as meat, poultry, seafood and egg products. Here are steps to protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness this summer.

On the Road Again…Traveling and Picnics

When eating outside while traveling or picnicking away from home, it’s important to take along the basic food safety necessities and follow these tips to reduce risk of foodborne illness.

Grill Master

Grilling calls for special food safety steps. Find out methods of grilling safely and being a true Grill Master.

Food Safety on the Move

You need to practice special food safety steps when you hit the road for cookouts and picnics. Read more to find out what you need to do to keep your food safe on the move.

Fall Food Safety

BAC! to School: Packing Lunches

Pack a safe lunch 101! Here are all the steps you need to make sure you’re packing your child a safe lunch every single day.

Have a Winning Football Season

Before the big game even starts, make sure you’re running a good defense against BAC! (foodborne bacteria).

Halloween Food Safety How-To

The scariest monsters you might encounter this Halloween are the ones you can’t see, smell, or taste! They’re germs, and you need to learn to fight them off!

Take-Out Sanity

Proper handling of take-out foods and any leftovers is essential to reducing your family’s risk of foodborne illness.

Winter Food Safety

Thanksgiving

All the holiday food safety resources you need to keep your Thanksgiving feast food safe, from shopping in the grocery store to serving it up on the table.

Safe Holiday Meal Tips & Planning

From handling ingredients to cleaning your kitchen, these food safety resources keep your family safe from food poisoning over the holidays.

Recipes

Get food safe recipes your guests will love!

Kids Activities & Games

Keep your youngest kitchen helpers busy with fun and educational games and activities.

Home Food Safety Mythbusters

Over the years we have all heard advice related to food safety. Some of this advice rings true, while other guidance is just plain wrong. To help you protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness, the Partnership for Food Safety Education has created new materials for consumers and educators that debunk common home food safety myths. Brush up on safe food handling advice with Fight BAC! food safety mythbusters.

Top 10 Home Food Safety Myths and Facts

The Partnership for Food Safety Education has compiled its ten most popular home food safety myths and facts from over the years in order to continue to support you in your efforts to protect yourselves, your families, and your communities against foodborne illness.

1. Cross-contamination doesn’t happen in the refrigerator — it is too cold in there for germs to survive!

FACT: Some bacteria can survive and even grow in cool, moist environments like the refrigerator. In fact, Listeria Monocytogenes grows at temperatures as low as 35.6⁰F! A recent study from NSF International revealed that the refrigerator produce compartment was one of the “germiest” places in the kitchen, containing Salmonella and Listeria. In your refrigerator, keep fresh fruits and vegetables separate from raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. Clean your refrigerator regularly with hot water and soap and clean up food and beverage spills immediately to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Don’t forget to clean refrigerator walls and undersides of shelves!

Download Myth #1

2. I don’t need to clean the refrigerator produce bin because I only put fruit and vegetables in there.

FACT: Bacteria in fresh fruits and vegetables can cause cross-contamination in your refrigerator. A recent NSF International study found that the refrigerator produce compartment was the #1 “germiest” area in consumers’ kitchens. To prevent the buildup of bacteria that can cause food poisoning, it is essential to clean your produce bin and other bins in your refrigerator often with hot water and liquid soap, rinse thoroughly, and dry with a clean cloth towel or allow to air dry outside of the refrigerator.

Download Myth #2

3. I don’t need to rinse this melon for safety — the part I eat is on the inside!

FACT: Sure you’re not eating the rind of the melon, but there are many ways for pathogens on the outside of the melon to contaminate the edible portion. A knife or peeler passing through the rind can carry pathogens from the outside into the flesh of the melon. The rind also touches the edible portion when fruit is arranged or stacked for serving and garnish. Play it safe and rinse your melon under running tap water while rubbing by hand or scrubbing with a clean brush. Dry the melon with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Download Myth #3

4. I eat a vegetarian diet, so I don’t have to worry about food poisoning.

FACT: Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, but like other foods they may carry a risk of foodborne illness. Always rinse produce under running tap water, including fruits and vegetables with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Never use detergent or bleach to wash fresh fruits or vegetables as these products are not intended for consumption. Packaged fruits and vegetables labeled “ready-to-eat” or “washed” do not need to be re-washed.

Download Myth #4

5. Leftovers are safe to eat until they smell bad.

FACT: Smell is not an indication of whether food is safe to eat! There are different types of bacteria, some of which cause illness in people and others that don’t. The types of bacteria that cause foodborne illness do not affect the taste, smell, or appearance of food. Freeze or toss refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days even if they smell and look fine. If you’re not sure how long leftovers have been in the refrigerator, toss them. If you’re not sure how old your leftovers are, remember: when in doubt, throw it out!

Download Myth #5

6. Freezing food kills harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

FACT: Bacteria can survive freezing temperatures. Freezing is not a method for making food safe to eat. When food is thawed, bacteria can still be present and may begin to multiply. Cooking food to the proper internal temperature is the best way to kill harmful bacteria. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of cooked foods.

Download Myth #6

7. Putting chicken in a colander and rinsing it with water will remove bacteria like Salmonella.

FACT: Rinsing chicken in a colander will not remove bacteria. In fact, it can spread raw juices around your sink, onto your counter tops, and onto ready-to-eat foods. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry can only be killed when cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature, which for poultry is 165 °F, as measured by a food thermometer. Save yourself the messiness of rinsing raw poultry. It is not a safety step and can cause cross-contamination! Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your food.

Download Myth #7

8. Only kids eat raw cookie dough and cake batter. If we just keep kids away from the raw products when adults are baking, there won’t be a problem!

FACT: Just a lick can make you sick! No one of any age should eat raw cookie dough or cake batter because it could contain germs that cause illness. Whether it’s pre-packaged or homemade, the heat from baking is required to kill germs that might be in the raw ingredients. The finished, baked, product is far safer — and tastes even better! And remember, kids who eat raw cookie dough and cake batter are at greater risk of getting food poisoning than most adults are.

Download Myth #8

9. Once a hamburger turns brown in the middle, it is cooked to a safe internal temperature.

FACT: You cannot use visual cues to determine whether food has been cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature. The ONLY way to know that food has been cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature is to use a food thermometer. Ground meat should be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 °F, as measured by a food thermometer.

Download Myth #9

10. If I microwave food, the microwaves kill the bacteria, so the food is safe.

FACT: Microwaves aren’t what kill bacteria – it’s the heat generated by microwaves that kills bacteria in foods. Microwave ovens are great time-savers and will kill bacteria in foods when heated to a safe internal temperature. However, foods can cook unevenly because they may be shaped irregularly or vary in thickness. Even microwave ovens equipped with a turntable can cook unevenly and leave cold spots in food, where harmful bacteria can survive. Be sure to follow package instructions and rotate and stir foods during the cooking process, if the instructions call for it. Observe any stand times as called for in the directions. Check the temperature of microwaved foods with a food thermometer in several spots.

Download Myth #10

The Core Four Practices

About the Core Four Practices

Right now, there may be an invisible enemy ready to strike. He’s called BAC (bacteria) and he can make people sick. In fact, even though consumers can’t see BAC – or smell him, or feel him – he and millions more like him may already be invading food products, kitchen surfaces, knives and other utensils. But you have the power to Fight BAC!^® and to reduce your risk of foodborne illness. It’s as easy as following these core four Fight BAC!^®practices for food safety:

Core Four Practice: Clean

Wash hands and surfaces often

Bacteria can be spread throughout the kitchen and get onto hands, cutting boards, utensils, counter tops and food. To Fight BAC!^®always use food safety practices:

Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling pets.
Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.
Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.
Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten.
Rub firm-skinned fruits and vegetables under running tap water or scrub with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing with running tap water.

Download Clean Fact Sheet

Core Four Practice: Separate

Don’t cross-contaminate

Cross-contamination is how bacteria can be spread. Improper handling of raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs can create an inviting environment for cross-contamination. As a result harmful bacteria can spread to food and throughout the kitchen leading to a foodborne illness.

Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags and in your refrigerator.
Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood.
Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.

Download Separate Fact Sheet

Core Four Practice: Cook

Cook to the safe internal temperature

Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods. The best way to Fight BAC!^® is to:

Use a food thermometer which measures the internal temperature of cooked meat, poultry and egg dishes, to make sure that the food is cooked to a safe internal temperature.
Cook roasts and steaks to a minimum of 145 °F. All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast with a food thermometer.
Cook ground meat, where bacteria can spread during grinding, to at least 160 °F. Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) links eating undercooked ground beef with a higher risk of illness. Remember, color is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your burgers.
Cook eggs and dishes containing eggs until the internal temperature reaches 160 °F on a food thermometer.
Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Don’t use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked.
Cook fish to 145 °F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.
Make sure there are no cold spots in food (where bacteria can survive) when cooking in a microwave oven. For best results, cover food, stir and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking.
Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a boil when reheating. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165 °F.

Download Cook Fact Sheet

Download Safe Minimum Temperature Chart

Core Four Practice: Chill

Refrigerate promptly

Check out the 40 or Below campaign

Refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures slow the growth of harmful bacteria. Do not over-stuff the refrigerator. Cold air must circulate to help keep food safe. Keeping a constant refrigerator temperature of 40 °F or below is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the temperature is consistently 40 °F or below. The freezer temperature should be 0 °F or below.

Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs and other perishables as soon as you get them home from the store.
Never let raw meat, poultry, eggs, cooked food or cut fresh fruits or vegetables sit at room temperature more than two hours before putting them in the refrigerator or freezer (one hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).
Never thaw food at room temperature. Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. There are three safe ways to thaw food: (1) in the refrigerator, (2) in cold water, and (3) in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
Always marinate food in the refrigerator.
Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator.
Use or discard refrigerated food on a regular basis.

Download Chill Fact Sheet

Download Storage Times Chart

The Partnership for Food Safety Education in HGTV Magazine

February 26, 2015

The Partnership for Food Safety Education was featured in the October/November edition of HGTV Magazine. It may feel wasteful to toss what seems (and smells) like good turkey and stuffing, but Thanksgiving leftovers really should not be kept for a week. Executive Director Shelley Feist explained, “You can’t see, smell, or taste E. coli or salmonella and if your food is harboring either bacteria, it could make you sick.”

Temperature and time cause bacteria to grow, which is why it is so important your refrigerator be cold enough and you not keep leftovers too long.   Even when refrigerated properly (at 40 °F), leftovers should be eaten, frozen or discarded within 3 to 4 days.  When heating and storing leftovers keep the following in mind:

• Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly – within 2 hours. Use an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator to ensure your refrigerator is at 40 °F or below.
• Divide leftovers into smaller portions and store in shallow containers in the refrigerator.
• Reheat cooked leftovers to 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Sauces, soups and gravies should be reheated by bringing them to a boil.
• When microwaving leftovers, make sure there are no cold spots in food (where bacteria can survive). Cover food, stir and rotate for even cooking.