Fight BAC! Keep Family Food Safe

SEPARATE: Keep raw and cooked food separate.

Harmful bacteria can spread from one food to others. Show your child how to separate raw meat, poultry, and fish from other foods.

• Keep raw meat, poultry, and fish wrapped, in sealed containers or plastic bags, so the juices won’t drip out.
• Wash anything (including your hands) that touches raw meat, poultry, or fish before using it with other food.
• Never put cooked food on the same plate or cutting board that held raw food – unless you wash it first.

CHILL: Refrigerate food right away.

Cold temperatures keep bacteria from growing and multiplying. Your child can help keep foods cold:

• Make sure the refrigerator door closes. Together check the temperature: refrigerator – below 40 degrees Fahrenheit; freezer – below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave oven, not on the counter.
• Chill foods that spoil. Freeze or refrigerate leftovers and other cooked foods within two hours of cooking.
• Put leftovers in small, shallow containers to cool faster.

COOK: Cook food to a safe, proper temperature.

To kill food-borne bacteria that can make you sick, cook food long enough and at a high enough temperature for that food. Show your child how carefully you check:

• Use a clean meat thermometer to check: • Cooked hamburgers: at least 160 degrees. • Whole, cooked chicken: 180 degrees.
• Cook eggs until yolks and whites are firm.
• Cook fish until it’s not shiny and it flakes easily with a fork.
• Reheat leftovers to at least 165 degrees.
• Wash your thermometer with hot, soapy water. Wiping with a towel isn’t enough.
• Be sure your microwaved food has no cold spots. Turning (by hand or turntable) and stirring while food cooks helps.

Nibbles for Health Nutrition Newsletter for Parents of Young Children, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service