Food Safety

It is important to take food safety seriously, here are some simple steps from Foodsafety.gov to minimize the risks of getting a foodborne illness:

CLEAN: Wash hands and food preparation surfaces often. And wash fresh fruits and vegetables carefully.
SEPARATE: Don't cross-contaminate! When handling raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs, keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.
COOK: Cook to proper temperature. See the Minimum Cooking Temperatures chart for details on cooking meats, poultry, eggs, leftovers, and casseroles.
CHILL: At room temperature, bacteria in food can double every 20 minutes. The more bacteria there are, the greater the chance you could become sick. So, refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from multiplying.

Here are some additional Food Safety resources:

At-Home Safe Food Handling (PDF)
Stay Healthy - Wash your hands!
USDA Food Handling Basics (Website)