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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

• About Four Steps to Food Safety (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Are You Storing Food Safely? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Cold Food Storage Chart (Department of Health and Human Services)
• Food Safety at Home (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Keep Food Safe! Food Safety Basics (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Preventing Food Poisoning Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• About Escherichia coli Infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Antimicrobial Resistance, Food, and Food Animals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Eating Out & Bringing In - Food Safety for Moms to Be (Food and Drug Administration)
• Fires and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Flour Is a Raw Food and Other Safety Facts (Food and Drug Administration) 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) Also in Spanish
• Intentional Genomic Alterations in Animals: Q&A for Consumers (Food and Drug Administration)
• Is Food Safe if It Has Chemicals? (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Keep Food Safe after a Disaster or Emergency (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Keeping Food Safe During Emergencies: Power Outages, Floods, and Fires (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Kitchen Thermometers (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts (Food and Drug Administration)
• Refrigeration and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• To Eat or Not to Eat: Decorative Products on Foods Can Be Unsafe (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• About C. perfringens Food Poisoning (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• 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)
• Ground Beef and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to Know (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• How to Grill Safely (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Keeping Your Milk Safe from the Grass to the Glass (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
• Perchlorate Questions and Answers (Food and Drug Administration)
• Preparing Your Holiday Turkey Safely (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Raw Flour and Dough (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely (Food and Drug Administration)
• Shelf-Stable Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)

Clinical Trials

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

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

• Article: Association of school meals and eating behavior, diet quality, food safety,...
• Article: Seafood safety and consumption in coastal Bangladesh: unpacking knowledge, attitudes, preferences,...
• Article: The SAFFI project: Fostering alignment and collaboration in EU-China food safety...
• 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
• FoodSafety.gov (Department of Health and Human Services)
• USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)

Children

• 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) Also in Spanish

Women

• Food Safety during Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Food Safety for Moms to Be (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

• Safer Food Choices for Adults 65 Years or Older (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Food safety (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish