Food Safety

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Games

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage can prevent foodborne illness. There are four basic steps to food safety at home:

• Clean - always wash your fruits and vegetables, hands, counters, and cooking utensils.
• Separate - keep raw foods to themselves. Germs can spread from one food to another.
• Cook - foods need to get hot and stay hot. Heat kills germs.
• Chill - put fresh food in the refrigerator right away.

In the grocery store, avoid cans that are bulging or jars that have cracks or loose lids. Check packages to be sure food hasn't reached its expiration date.

United States Department of Agriculture

Start Here

• 4 Basic Steps to Food Safety at Home (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
• Are You Storing Food Safely? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Be Food Safe: Protect Yourself from Food Poisoning (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Food Safety (Nemours Foundation)
• Food Safety When Preparing Holiday Meals (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) - PDF Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Food Safety for Warmer Weather (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• 5 Tips for Using Your Microwave Oven Safely (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Animal Cloning and Food Safety (Food and Drug Administration)
• Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Fires and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Food and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Freezing and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• High Altitude Cooking and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• How Safe Are Color Additives? (Food and Drug Administration)
• Keep Food and Water Safe After a Disaster or Power Outage (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Keeping Food Safe during an Emergency (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) Also in Spanish
• Kitchen Thermometers (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) Also in Spanish
• Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts (Food and Drug Administration)
• Refrigeration and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) Also in Spanish
• Safe Eats - Eating Out and Bringing In (Food and Drug Administration)
• To Eat or Not to Eat: Decorative Products on Foods Can Be Unsafe (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Barbecue Basics: Tips to Prevent Foodborne Illness (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Color of Meat and Poultry (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Cutting Boards and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Egg Products and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Food Safety and Raw Milk (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Fresh and Frozen Seafood: Selecting and Serving It Safely (Food and Drug Administration)
• Ground Beef and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) Also in Spanish
• Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to Know (Food and Drug Administration)
• Perchlorate Questions and Answers (Food and Drug Administration)
• Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Say No to Raw Dough! (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Shelf-Stable Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Tips to Prevent Illness from Clostridium Perfringens (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Games

• Food Safety Mobile Game (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)

Statistics and Research

• CDC Vital Signs: Making Food Safer to Eat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Food Safety (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: New FDA-EPA Protocol Covers Agricultural Water Safety.
• Article: Salmonellosis Outbreak After a Large-Scale Food Event in Virginia, 2017.
• Article: Risk of Mercury exposure during childhood: a review of Sri Lankan...
• Food Safety -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• Food and Drug Administration
• Food and Nutrition Information Center
• USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)

Children

• Food Safety and Nutrition Information for Kids and Teens (Food and Drug Administration)
• Food Safety for Preschoolers (Department of Agriculture)
• Halloween Food Safety Tips for Parents (Food and Drug Administration)
• Once Baby Arrives (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• People at Risk: Children under Five (Department of Health and Human Services)

Women

• Food Safety for Moms-to-Be (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• 4 Basic Steps to Food Safety at Home (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
• Food safety (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish