Saskatoon residents are reminded to protect themselves from food-borne illnesses during the summer months.
Hot and humid weather creates the perfect conditions for the rapid growth of bacteria. More people are cooking outside and this means less refrigeration and washing facilities to prepare safe meals.
To minimize the risks of food-borne illness, follow these steps:
Step 1: Clean– Wash hands and surfaces often to avoid the spread of bacteria.
– Wash your hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food, and after handling raw meats or poultry, using the bathroom, touching pets or changing diapers.
– Always wash raw fruits and vegetables in clean water. You cannot tell whether foods carry surface bacteria by the way they look, smell or taste.
Step 2: Separate– Keep raw meats and poultry separate from cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.
– When you pack a cooler for an outing, wrap uncooked meats and poultry securely, and put them on the bottom to prevent raw juices from dripping onto other foods.
-Wash all plates, utensils, and cutting boards that touched or held raw meat or poultry before using them again for other foods.
Step 3: Cook– Make sure you kill harmful bacteria by properly cooking food.
– Traditional visual cues like colour are not a guarantee that food is safe. Don’t guess! Take a digital instant-read food thermometer along to check when meat and poultry are safe to eat. Cooked foods are safe to eat when internal temperatures are:
– 71 degrees celsius (160 degreees fahrenheit) for ground meat
– 74 degrees celsius (165 degrees fahrenheit) for leftover food and boned and deboned poultry parts
– 85 degrees celsius (185 degrees fahrenheit) for whole poultry
Step 4: Chill- Keep cold food cold.
– Perishable foods that are normally in the refrigerator, such as luncheon meats, cooked meat, chicken, and potato or pasta salads, must be kept in an insulated cooler with freezer packs or blocks of ice to keep the temperature at 4 degrees (40 degrees fahrenheit).
– Put leftovers back in the cooler as soon as you are finished eating.
– The simple rule is: when in doubt, throw it out.
For more information on summer food safety visit Health Canada.
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