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Do you know how to keep food safe at home? The easy lessons of “Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill” will help you protect your family from foodborne illness and teach them how to be food safe.
Foodborne illness is a serious public health threat and all of us are susceptible. Consider the numbers: Each year, approximately 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of those cases of foodborne illness, more than 325,000 people
are hospitalized and approximately 5,000 people die – that
is almost 13 people every day. That is why it is critical that
people understand the dangers of foodborne bacteria.
While everyone is at risk for foodborne illness, there are
those that face a higher risk if they consume unsafe food.
At-risk persons include the very young, older adults, pregnant
women, and those with weakened immune systems. These food safety
steps are especially important for them, and the messages of
the Be Food Safe campaign can be a life saver.
But the last line of defense against foodborne illness is
in our own kitchens. The four basic safe food handling behaviors – clean,
separate, cook, and chill – will keep our food safe.
Food safety risks at home are common.
Learn more about each of these steps by clicking on Clean! Separate! Cook! Chill!
Clean! -
Wash hands and utensils to avoid spreading bacteria
when preparing food. Learn more about Clean.
Separate! - Use different
cutting boards for meat, poultry, seafood, and veggies. Learn
more about Separate.
Cook! - You
can’t tell it’s done by how it looks! Use a food
thermometer.
Learn more about Cook.
Chill! -
Keep the fridge at 40 degrees or below to keep bacteria from
growing. Learn more about Chill
Watch "Focus on Health: Be Food Safe" --
a television cooking show by Channel 16, and learn some great
recipes too!
Channel 16 Page Be Food Safe
Direct Link to Video Stream: Be
Food Safe (25 minutes). |
Clean! Separate! Cook! Chill!
