How To Keep You and Your Family Safe From Food Poisoning At Home.

How To Avoid Serious Illness From Your Food At Home.

You should know how to care for the foods you pick up from the grocery store. Food born illnesses can be prevented with the proper handling and care of food products. Salmonella, listeria, E. coli and others can be prevented. Did you know that harmful bacteria can grow in perishable foods within two hours unless you refrigerate them? If its summer and the temperatures are higher, you can cut that time to one hour. Here is a list of suggestions that will help you:

1. The first step in preventing food poisoning is to assume that all foods may cause food-borne illness. Follow these steps to prevent food poisoning:
2. Wash hands, food preparation surfaces and utensils thoroughly before and after handling raw foods to prevent recontamination of cooked foods.
3. Keep refrigerated foods between 40 degrees F and 32 degrees F. Your freezer should be 0 or below.
4. Serve hot foods immediately or keep them heated above 140 degrees F.
5. Divide large volumes of food into small portions for rapid cooling in the refrigerator. Hot, bulky foods in the refrigerator can raise the temperature of foods already cooled.
6. Arrange your refrigerator with care to properly chill food and slow bacteria growth. Cold air must be allowed to circulate in the refrigerator.
7. Remember the danger zone is between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F.
8. Place perishable foods (including leftovers) in the refrigerator within two hours and in the summer within one hour.
9. Heat canned foods thoroughly before tasting.
10. Know when to throw food out. You can never tell when bacteria has started just by looking at or smelling your left overs or refrigerated foods. When in doubt, throw it out. 

When Should You Freeze Your Food? Storage Times For Refrigerator and Freezer

These are safe time limits for home-refrigerated foods that will keep them from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

Category	Food	Refrigerator (40 °F or below)	Freezer (0 °F or below)
Salads	Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Does not freeze well
Hot dogs	opened package	1 week	1 to 2 months
	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Luncheon meat	opened package or deli sliced	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
	unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Bacon & Sausage	Bacon	7 days	1 month
	Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Hamburger & Other Ground Meats	Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork	Steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
	Chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
	Roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 12 months
Fresh Poultry	Chicken or turkey, whole	1 to 2 days	1 year
	Chicken or turkey, pieces	1 to 2 days	9 months
Soups & Stews	Vegetable or meat added	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Leftovers	Cooked meat or poultry	3 to 4 days	2 to 6 months
	Chicken nuggets or patties	3 to 4 days	1 to 3 months
	Pizza	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months

What About Eggs?

Product	Refrigerator	Freezer
Raw eggs in shell	3 to 5 weeks	Do not freeze. Instead, beat yolks and whites together; then freeze.
Raw egg whites	2 to 4 days	12 months
Raw egg yolks	2 to 4 days	Yolks do not freeze well.
Raw egg accidentally frozen in shell	Use immediately after thawing.	Keep frozen; then refrigerate to thaw.
Hard-cooked eggs	1 week	Do not freeze.
Egg substitutes, liquid Unopened	10 days	12 months
Egg substitutes, liquid Opened	3 days	Do not freeze.
Egg substitutes, frozen Unopened	After thawing, 7 days or refer to “Use-By” date.	12 months
Egg substitutes, frozen Opened	After thawing, 3 days or refer to “Use-By” date.	Do not freeze.
Casseroles with eggs	3 to 4 days	After baking, 2 to 3 months.
Eggnog Commercial	3 to 5 days	6 months
Eggnog Homemade	2 to 4 days	Do not freeze.
Pies Pumpkin or pecan	3 to 4 days	After baking, 1 to 2 months.
Pies Custard and chiffon	3 to 4 days	Do not freeze.
Quiche with filling	3 to 4 days	After baking, 1 to 2 months.

For more safety tips and information visit www.foodsafety.gov