National Food Safety Month

As a college student I have heard plenty of stories of friends waking up after a long night of ...ummm... "studying", stumbling into the kitchen to find, through squinting eyes, a half eaten box of pizza from a party they had two nights ago. At the time, it seems like a wonderfully greasy surprise after such a long night of "studying". Problem is, most of them don't question the situation much, devour what was left of their seemingly gift of a feast, and then wonder why they have stomach pains later that day.

Good thing I started this blog a bit before September was completely over! It is National Food Safety Month and as a food science and human nutrition major I see it as my duty to share all these tips with you.

1. Keep food out of the danger zone (40 - 140 degrees Fahrenheit)! This tends to be one of the most overlooked food safety basics. Do not leave food on your counter for more than 2 hours in this temperature range, it is the ideal environment for foodborne bacteria to thrive. After 4 hours food must be discarded to avoid consuming potentially harmful bacteria. 
2. With tip 2 freshly in our minds, remember to thaw out frozen food in the fridge. Although it may take longer than leaving it out on the counter this assures that no part of the food item will be in the danger zone at any point of the defrosting process. 
3. Wash your hands. This minimizes the spread of foodborne bacteria. By washing your hands for at least 20 seconds you prevent personal contamination of your food.
4. Don't cross contaminate. Cooking surfaces need to be sanitized in order to avoid cross contamination. Try to have a different surface to prepare meats/poultry, fruits/vegetables and foods with strong odors such as onion or garlic. Some surfaces such as wood or plastic can retain a bit of bacteria or strong odors. By having a surface for certain categories of food unpleasant tastes can be averted. No one likes their strawberries to taste like garlic! 
5. Rinse fruits and vegetables before use. Even if you plan on peeling the item, this step can remove bacteria that can easily spread during preparation. Washing meat and poultry is not necessary since this is usually done when the item is packaged and doing so in your kitchen sink can actually lead to contamination of other nearby items. 
6. Cook foods thoroughly and to the necessary temperature for safety. Use a thermometer if possible to be sure foods are fully cooked. Chicken that is ready to eat should be 165 degrees, show no pink in the center, and have clear juices. Beef or pork should be cooked to 160 degrees throughout. 
7. Finally, I have added a table below in case you have any questions on how long common food items can remain in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Hopefully next time you're searching for a meal in your refrigerator you know what to avoid in order to steer clear of any harmful bacteria.


This information was obtained from www.foodsafety.gov and from my food science courses. Please feel free to visit the website for additional information.