Is Food In My Kitchen a Safety Hazard? (continued)

HE-492 (Revised), Reviewed December 2006

Transporting
Storing
Preparation
Use Cooking Methods Safely
Serving
Leftovers
Glossary

Transporting

Transporting Tips

1. Place perishables in an ice chest if store-to-home trip is longer than one hour.
2. If you buy hot food items, take them home immediately and eat or hold no longer than 2 hours at 140 F or hotter.
3. Never leave food in a hot car. A rule of thumb -- if ice cream melts, food has been temperature abused too long.
4. Avoid dropping and crushing packages.
5. Make sure perishable foods carried to a picnic are kept cold until eaten. Foods which tend to spoil easily without refrigeration should not be exposed to warm temperatures for more than one-half hour before eating.

Storing

Refrigerator/Freezer Temperatures

A survey showed that most home owners were unaware of the importance of proper refrigerator temperature ranges and the negative effects of improper temperatures. Temperatures checked in 14 homes ranged from +32 degrees F to +55 F in refrigerators and from +5 F to +20 F in freezers.

To keep microorganisms in check, the refrigerator should run at a maximum of 40 F. A freezer temperature of 0 F or lower will maintain top food quality for the longest period of time. Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer.

Storing Tips

• Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer.
• Freeze fresh meat, poultry or fish immediately if you can't use it within 2 days.
• Put packages of raw meat, poultry or fish on a plate before refrigerating or when defrosting so their juices won't drip on other food. Raw juices often contain micro-organisms.
• Refrigerate products with Keep Refrigerated labels.
• If your refrigerator fails, keep the door closed and hold food at 40 F or cook questionable products within a few hours.
• Buy clean eggs and refrigerate in their original carton without washing.
• Refrigerate all dairy products promptly, including mixtures made from dry mixes, such as reconstituted dry milk or prepared puddings.
• If your freezer fails, keep the door closed. You may refreeze foods that still have ice crystals and feel as cold as if refrigerated, but quality will be affected. Frozen dairy products including ice cream or frozen yogurt are an exception and should be discarded.
• If the freezer compartment of your refrigerator fails, keep the door closed and find another freezer within a few hours or cook and serve the contents.

New Technologies -- New Safety Tips

Refrigerated fresh prepared foods and hot ready-to-eat foods are common not only in delis, but also in supermarkets. Foods found in this category include everything from pasta and vegetables to fish, chicken and beef, and they range from salads and soups to complete dinners.

Innovative processing and packaging, including partial cooking of fresh food, vacuum packaging or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and tightly controlled refrigeration, characterize the new technology. These foods offer more of a just-cooked flavor than canned or frozen foods and have a longer shelf life than traditional refrigerated foods.

The shelf life of these foods may be extended two, three or even four weeks depending on the specific food. These foods must be kept cold during all stages of their shelf life. Inappropriate temperatures could make them unsafe to eat because these refrigerated foods are not heated to sufficient temperatures for a long enough time during precooking to destroy all micro-organisms.

When some of these foods receive their minimal processing, some harmless spoilage microoganisms that might warn consumers that spoilage has taken place by causing odors are killed. But dangerous microorganisms, such as certain strains of botulism bacteria, that survive may not make the food taste or smell bad. In other words, refrigerated foods can look or smell fine, but be hazardous.

Once these foods are opened, they must be stored and used within a period of time that reflects the perishable nature of the product. For example, the date on a package of vacuum-packed luncheon meat may be four weeks from the date you purchase it. However, once you open the package, the meat should be used within three to five days, even if the date on the package has two weeks to go.

TO SAFELY USE VACUUM-PACKAGED REFRIGERATED FOODS follow these tips:

1. Recognize the package. Sometimes fresh refrigerated foods are sold in glass jars, reheatable pouches and even metal cans that may give the impression they can be stored at room temperature. These foods are frequently found in the dairy, deli or refrigerated meats sections of the supermarket. If you buy them, refrigerate them at home as quickly as you would traditional refrigerated foods such as milk and eggs.
2. Keep Foods Refrigerated. Select these foods last on your trip through the supermarket. Get them home and refrigerate immediately in the colder areas of your refrigerator. It is best not to store vacuum-packaged foods in the refrigerator door because it is warmer there.
3. Follow label directions. Pay special attention to "keep refrigerated," "sell-by" or "use-by" dates. Throw away vacuum packaged foods not used by the expiration date. You can't rely on your nose to tell if the food has spoiled.
4. Heat thoroughly. Follow the package instructions for time and temperature. When microwaving foods, always stir food well to distribute heat evenly and allow standing time as directed.

Cupboard Storage

• Store foods in cool cabinets and away from appliances which produce heat.
• Many staples and canned foods have a relatively long shelf life, but buy only what you expect to use within the time recommended in the chart. Date food packages and use the oldest first. Foods stored for longer than recommended times or beyond date on the package may change quality, color and flavor.
• Buy fresh-looking packages. Dusty cans or torn labels can indicate old stock. Do not purchase dented or bulging cans.

Storing Breast Milk

* Laboratory studies have found that refrigerated human milk may be good for up to five days. However, conditions in homes and laboratories are not the same. Two days is a safe guideline for home use of refrigerated human milk.

Can Your Kitchen Pass the Test?

Your Cupboards:

Are Your Cupboards Clean...
   ..inside   __ yes __ no
   ..outside  __ yes __ no
Is contact paper, if used, in good condition?   __ yes __ no 

Your Kitchen Cloths:

Are kitchen cloths clean? __ yes __ no
Are cloths laundered and sanitized often? __ yes __ no 

Your Dishwasher:

Do you wipe out the inside of the
dishwasher and sanitize periodically?* __ yes __ no 

Your Refrigerator:

Is your refrigerator clean? __ yes __ no
Has it been moved and scrubbed under? __ yes __ no
Is it clean on top? __ yes __ no
Is the defrost pan clean? __ yes __ no
Do you know what is in all the containers? __ yes __ no 

Your Stove:

Do you clean the smoke hood and filters? __ yes __ no
Is the stove clean? __ yes __ no
Drip trays? __ yes __ no
Knobs? __ yes __ no 

Miscellaneous:

Is you floor clean? __ yes __ no
Are the can opener blades spotless? __ yes __ no
Do you clean the crumb tray of the
unplugged toaster periodically? __ yes __ no
Are counter tops clean? Are corners and
edges clean (a clean tooth brush works well)? __ yes __ no 

*1 teaspoon household bleach in 1 quart warm water can be used to sanitize.

Preparation

Preparation Tips

• WASH HANDS with warm soapy water thoroughly before handling foods as well as after handling pets; after handling raw meats, poultry and fish; after changing diapers; after wiping noses; after handling garbage and doing other related tasks.
• Teach children to wash their hands before handling food.
• Always wash kitchen countertops, utensils, dishes and cutting boards thoroughly with soap and hot water after contact with raw meat, poultry, fish and other raw foods.
• Use of separate cutting boards for raw and cooked food is wise. Different colors can help keep them separate.
• Use acrylic cutting boards, rather than wooden ones where bacteria can hide in grooves and cracks.
• Thaw foods in the refrigerator, rather than on the counter top; or thaw in microwave followed by immediate cooking.
• Marinate foods in the refrigerator. Do not reuse marinade.

What are the Issues?

Food safety is seen as an important issue among consumers, yet they continue certain unsafe food handling practices. According to a recent USDA survey of factors related to buying food, 88 percent of women and 79 percent of men rated food safety as the top issue related to buying food. Taste and nutrition came in second and third, respectively.

Despite the concern for food safety, a 1997 survey by the Food and Drug Administration indicated that 50 percent of consumers will eat raw or uncooked eggs, 26 percent don't wash cutting boards after cutting raw meat, 23 percent will eat undercooked hamburger and 17 percent will eat raw clams or oysters.

In past outbreaks that occurred in homes, undercooking and improper cooling were the most common factors involved.

Hand Washing

Before handling foods, wash your hands even if you plan to wear gloves, with soap and warm water for 20 seconds. It is important to work soap into the hands, including fingernail area and between the fingers.

Repeat this process after you have been handling raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs, touching animals, using the bathroom, changing diapers or handling garbage. Recent consumer survey results showed that about 25 percent of home food handlers would only rinse or wipe their hands after handling raw meat or poultry.

Use Cooking Methods Safely

A cooking method cannot make food safe if it has been improperly handled.

Cooking Tips

• Cook red meat to 160 F. Cook poultry to 165 F. Use a meat thermometer to check that it's thoroughly cooked in the thickest part.
• To check visually, ground meat is done when it's brown or gray inside. Poultry juices run clear. Fish flakes with a fork.
• Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Scramble eggs to a firm texture.
• Recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked should not be used.
• Use only clean unbroken eggs for egg dishes that are more lightly cooked, as scrambled, poached or soft cooked eggs, french toast, cream pies and soft meringues and cooked ice cream mixes.
• Dirty or leaking eggs should not be used.
• Eggs with cracked shells, but whose contents are not leaking, may be used in dishes that are thoroughly cooked such as baked goods, hard-cooked eggs, custards and casseroles where internal temperatures reach 165 F.
• Avoid tasting raw food preparations containing meat or eggs, such as cookie dough.
• Dogs, cats and other pets should be kept out of food preparation areas.
• Pet feeding dishes, toys or bedding should not be allowed in the kitchen or near items in contact with family's food.
• Avoid use of recipes that ask you to leave perishable food at room temperature for over 2 hours. This includes thawing and marinating.
• Avoid interrupted cooking. Never partially cook products to be fully grilled or roasted later.
• Make sure you have a constant heat source when cooking. For example, do not preheat an oven, turn it off and then put a roast in it.
• Use a minimum oven temperature of 325 F for cooking.
• If you have a cut or infection, avoid handling food or at least wear clean plastic gloves, particularly when handling cooked products.

Microwave Ovens

The microwave is a standard appliance in over 80 percent of U.S. households. Microorganisms may pose a problem to microwave users when food that is improperly stored, inadequately cooked or unevenly heated harbors pathogenic microorganisms. Because microwave ovens often heat foods unevenly, microorganisms, especially parasites, may survive.

The microwave can get food hot enough to kill microorganisms that may be present in foods, but it may not cook evenly. Therefore, it is up to the cook to arrange, cover, rotate, stir and turn foods so they reach a safe temperature throughout.

Foods cook differently by microwaves than by conventional heat. Microwaves cause food molecules to vibrate and the resulting friction creates heat. The microwaves do not penetrate more than one inch into most foods. The heat is then conducted slowly inward, similar to cooking in the conventional oven. Moist areas in foods will heat more quickly than dry areas.

Food continues to cook after the microwave is turned off. Allow the food to stand for an additional one-third of the original cooking time, or as the recipe directs.

This carry-over heat can raise the internal temperature by several degrees and helps equalize the temperature throughout the food, both of which are important. For food to be safe, its temperature must be hot enough for long enough to kill micro-organisms.

The microwave is a safe way to defrost foods quickly. However, since the food can become warm as it defrosts it must be cooked immediately after defrosting.

Recommendations for cooking fresh pork in the microwave are not in total agreement. A suggested safe recommendation is provided by USDA. USDA/ARS research showed that fresh pork roasts cooked in plastic cooking bags to 165 F or higher in the center were safe to eat. The plastic cooking bags prevent evaporation and provide for more uniform heating.

In general:

• Follow package directions for foods.
• Rotate, stir or check all foods at least once during cooking. If the item is on a rotating turntable, the center location remains the same, so it is still a good idea to reposition the item on it.
• Cover the item with a lid or heavy-duty plastic wrap (not touching the food) turned back at one corner to provide escape for steam.
• Let roasts stand covered for a few minutes after cooking them, or use an oven cooking bag. Cook large pieces of meat at lower settings for longer times than small pieces.
• Use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature of meats in several places after cooking in the microwave. Temperatures near the center should be above 165 F in poultry (juices run clear) and 160 F in red meat (lack of pink), and fish should be flaky.

Slow Cookers

Because the slow cooker heats slowly, foods are at low temperatures for long periods of time. Foodborne illness can result from food held at low temperatures too long. The following can help assure safety of foods cooked in the slow cooker:

• Thaw frozen foods before cooking.
• Follow recipe carefully. Instructions (pre-heat, brown, scald) are often included to speed the heating process. Browning also kills surface bacteria.
• Cook at the recommended temperature setting (instructions such as cover and set to High for 1 hour, then reduce to low).
• Follow recommendations of amount of food to prepare in your cooker. Most operate best at 1/3 to 1/2 full.
• Foods cooked in the slow cooker must be in liquid.
• If amount of a recipe is increased, a thermometer is the best way to check doneness.
• All foods should reach an interior temperature of at least 165 F to control bacteria and should reach 150 F within one hour.
• Don't raise the lid unnecessarily during cooking.

The Barbecue

• Always marinate meat in the refrigerator and do not use the marinade for a dip or sauce later unless it has been brought to a rolling boil. The unheated marinade contains juices from the raw meat.
• Don't use the same plate for cooked meat that carried raw meat, unless you've washed it with warm soap and water first.
• Remember that an unwashed cutting board or knife may be a reservoir of harmful microorganisms and carry them from one food to another.

Points To Keep In Mind When Cooking

Thawing: Thaw foods in the refrigerator, in cold water (changing the water every 30 minutes) or as a part of conventional cooking. The microwave oven may be used to thaw foods only if the food will be cooked immediately following the thawing process.

When thawing at room temperature the outside of the food may be between the danger zone (40 to 140 F) while the inside is still thawing. This time and temperature combination allows for a large buildup of microorganisms.

A situation has now been produced where microorganisms may be transferred to and from work areas and equipment (cross contamination). This large number of microorganisms means that if subsequent cleaning, cooking and further preparation are not done with extreme care, a dangerous dose of disease-causing microorganisms will be served with your food.

Heating and Cooking: Cooking temperatures can be so low that, just as in thawing, the food remains in the danger zone long enough for micro-organisms to multiply. Follow manufacturers' instructions for slow cookers and see suggestions on page 23. USDA recommends oven temperatures no lower that 325 F for cooking meat. How fast a product heats depends not only on size, but on shape, other ingredients, method of heating used and the treatment (such as stirring or rotating) while heating.

Dressing in poultry acts as an insulator and needs to be cooked to 165 F. The temperature needs to be taken of the stuffing as well as of the bird. One recorded case notes that the turkey thigh temperature was 200 F (overcooked) while the stuffing was still at 90 F. This is one reason why it is frequently suggested that the poultry and stuffing be cooked separately.

Let's look at beef stew to see how safety concerns can be managed. The meat, a potentially hazardous food, has been cut up, thus handled several times. This increases the likelihood of microbial contamination. Vegetables are added; often these are fresh so they must be thoroughly cleaned since they may be contaminated with C. perfringens microorganisms. Both cubed meat and cleaned vegetables should be kept under refrigeration until ready to use.

If you are dealing with a larger volume of stew, thorough heat penetration can be a problem. The interior parts may never reach temperatures sufficient to destroy micro-oganisms. The best remedy for this is frequent stirring.

Salmonella

Eggs
Salmonellosis, the number one cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., is an infection which occurs when someone eats a sufficient number of the Salmonella microoganisms in raw, undercooked, poorly handled or inadequately refrigerated food. Salmonella enteritidis a strain of Salmonella, appears to be frequently associated with eggs.

In the 1960s, cracked and dirty eggs were identified as a source of Salmonella (not Salmonella enteritidis) but industry-wide programs to wash, sanitize and grade eggs were successful in reducing the problem. For more than 15 years, Grade A shell eggs were not associated with Salmonella infection of any kind.

However, in recent years an increasing number of Salmonella enteritidis infection outbreaks have been tied to clean, uncracked, Grade A eggs. This started in the north-eastern part of the U.S. and is now spreading to other parts of the country.

The number of intact eggs which contain Salmonella enteritidis is small, estimated at one in 10,000. Consequently, foods containing raw or undercooked eggs, such as homemade eggnog or ice cream, hollandaise sauce, and Caesar salad dressing, pose an occasional risk of infection.

The very young, elderly or immunocompromized persons, such as some patients with cancer or AIDS, are at greatest risk for Salmonella enteritidis infection. These persons should be especially careful not to eat foods containing raw or undercooked eggs.

Eggs are an economical, versatile and nutritious food. They are also a safe food when properly handled. Clean hands, countertops and utensils, sanitary food handling practices, proper cooking temperatures and adequate refrigeration are essential in safely preparing any food or egg product.

The following cooking times should provide adequately cooked eggs:

Scrambled: Cook until firm throughout, 1 minute at medium stove-top setting (250 F for electric frying pan).

Poached: 5 minutes in boiling water.

Sunny side: 7 minutes at 250 F, or 4 minutes at 250 F covered.

Fried, over easy: 3 minutes at 250 F (medium setting) on one side, then 2 minutes after turning.

Hard cooked: 7 minutes in boiling water.

Eat eggs promptly after cooking. It is unwise to hold them at a warm temperature for over one hour. Consider using pasteurized eggs or an egg substitute to serve a large group or to take on a trip.

Other Animal Products

Just as with eggs, heating other animal products destroys Salmonella microoganisms that may be present. Adequate cooking makes these foods perfectly safe to eat. Cook meat, poultry and seafood thoroughly. This means:

• Cook meat to a medium or well-done stage (160 F or above).
• Poultry is done when the meat is no longer pink and the juices are clear-colored in appearance (165 F).
• Cook fish until it turns opaque and flakes when tested with a fork.
• Shrimp, crab, lobsters and scallops should turn opaque. The opening of oyster, clam and mussel shells may not be a good indicator of adequate cooking. Look for an opaque color instead.
• Use pasteurized milk rather than raw milk.

Fruits and Vegetables

In the past few years several plant foods have attracted attention as the causes of some foodborne illness. More and more evidence is being accumulated to show that foodborne illness can occur from fruits and vegetables contaminated with pathogens. The microorganisms may come from the soil, fertilizer (especially manure) and other things in the environment that the food comes in contact with, or from food handlers.

As a consumer you can:

• Wash all fresh produce well before using. Some may be scrubbed with a brush and rinsed with clean water. The use of a detergent is not recommended.
• Use clean equipment, utensils and surfaces to avoid cross contamination.
• Cut away bruised or damaged areas of fruits or vegetables. These areas may allow an entry spot for microorganisms.
• Remove rinds and sometimes skins when the food is cut.
• Prepare the foods at serving time and keep refrigerated. This will prevent microorganisms from multiplying rapidly.
• Use common sense and good sanitation practices and enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables.

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HE-492 (Revised), Reviewed December 2006