Safe Food Handling
When handling food, you need to be food safe. Food safety is about properly handling, storing, cooking and reheating food to prevent contamination and foodborne illness.
Many foodborne illnesses can be prevented by following these safe food-handling practices:
- Cook
- Clean
- Chill
- Separate
Clean – Practice clean cooking
When working with food products, it is important that you keep your working station clean. You should:
- Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food
- Clean cutting boards, utensils and countertops with warm water and dish soap and sanitize using a mild bleach solution (1 teaspoon bleach per 4 cups of water)
- Clean your reusable grocery bag and bins after each use
If you have been vomiting or have diarrhea, don't handle food until at least 24 hours after your symptoms have stopped.
Cook – Cook food to the appropriate temperature
Check the internal temperature of meat products before eating using a food probe thermometer. The only way to kill harmful bacteria is to cook food to safe temperatures. You should also reheat food to the original cooking temperature.
Review our internal cooking temperatures to find out when it is safe to eat each type of meat product.
| Meat type | Temperature in Celsius | Temperature in Fahrenheit |
|---|---|---|
|
Whole poultry (chicken, turkey) |
82 degrees |
180 degrees |
|
Poultry pieces or ground poultry |
74 degrees |
165 degrees |
|
Ground meat (beef, pork, lamb) |
71 degrees |
160 degrees |
|
Pork and pork product |
71 degrees |
160 degrees |
|
Fish |
70 degrees |
158 degrees |
Chill – Store food in the cold
Certain foods need to be refrigerated or else they will spoil. You should also place leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours of eating. Always keep your refrigerator at 4 degrees Celsius or below.
Thaw meat in the refrigerator, microwave, or under cold running water – not at room temperature. Never let meat or poultry sit out at room temperature or in the sun for longer than two hours.
Separate – Store raw meat separately
Don't cross-contaminate raw meet with other food products, such as fruits and vegetables. You should:
- Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods in your grocery bag and refrigerator
- Use separate cutting boards for raw meat, vegetables and ready-to-eat foods, if possible
- Use a clean plate to bring cooked meat in from the barbeque