4 Steps to Food Safety: Clean, separate, cook, and chill

 
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Step 1: Clean

Wash your hands often. Clean surfaces and utensils after each use. Wash fruits and vegetables.

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Step 2: Separate

Avoid cross contamination! Use separate cutting boards and utensils. Keep raw meats, eggs, seafood, fish, and poultry away from ready-to-eat foods.

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Step 3: Cook

Cook foods to a safe temperature. Keep hot foods hot after cooking.

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Step 4: Chill

Return perishable groceries to your refrigerator or freezer as soon as you bring them home. Keep cold foods cold.

Deeper Dive

If something you bought was refrigerated at the store, it needs to be refrigerated as soon as you get home. This includes:

- Raw meat

- Eggs

- Raw poultry

- Raw seafood and fish

- Cooked food

- Cut fresh fruits and vegetables

The foods listed above (and any other perishables) should not go unrefrigerated more than 2 hours. Once you remove a food item from a store’s refrigerator, it needs to be in your refrigerator within 2 hours. If it is very hot out (above 90°F), it should be in your refrigerator within 1 hour. 

If something you bought was frozen at the store, it needs to go back in the freezer as soon as you get home. Once you remove a food from a store’s freezer, it needs to be in your freezer within 2 hours (1 hour if above 90°F).

Perishable groceries (perishables)

Perishables are foods that can spoil, decay or become unsafe to eat if not kept refrigerated or frozen. Examples are raw meats and poultry, dairy products, and cooked foods.

What are perishables?

Perishables are foods that can spoil, decay or become unsafe to eat if not kept refrigerated or frozen. Examples are raw meats and poultry, dairy products, and cooked leftovers.