The importance of food safety and hygiene cannot be overstated, as millions of people become sick every year due to not taking the proper precautions when preparing food. Although most do recover, thousands die. The most vulnerable are the young, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 70% of foodborne illness outbreaks occur in foodservice operations and about 20% in the home. Within the foodservice industry the outbreaks were divided roughly evenly between restaurants and hotels, nursing homes, daycare centers and schools, private gatherings, and other settings.

There are four basic things things that need to happen to ensure food is safe to eat:

Hands, work surfaces, and utensils must be kept clean

Hands, surfaces, and utensils have to be washed often with attention paid to the use of correct cleaners, soaps and antibacterial agents. It is also important to make sure that hand washing is done for at least twenty seconds in warm soapy water and rinsed thoroughly afterward.

Hands should be washed:

Before and after handling food, especially raw meat, fish and eggs After using the bathroom After handling a pet After tending to a sick person After coughing or sneezing or nose blowing After changing a diaper

Cross contamination must be avoided

Foods must be separated to prevent cross-contamination. This is especially important with meat: cooked and uncooked meat should never be stored together. Perishable food should be well wrapped to prevent cross-contamination.

Food must be properly cooked

Food must be cooked to the proper temperature. Temperature can be checked using a sterile food thermometer which must be used in such a way that the least cooked part of the food is tested, e.g. with meat the tip should be as close to the center of the cut as possible.

These are the minimum cooking temperatures for meat as recommended on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA): website:

Steaks & Roasts - 145 °F Fish - 145 °F Pork - 160 °F Ground Beef - 160 °F Egg Dishes - 160 °F Chicken Breasts - 165 °F Whole Poultry - 165 °F

The thermometer should be checked for accuracy frequently by putting it in a bowl of ice and water that has been allowed to stand. It should read 32F.

Perishable food must be properly refrigerated

Perishable food should be refrigerated as soon as possible, within two hours of purchase or one hour if the temperature is 90 degrees or more. The refrigerator temperature should be 40F and this should be checked regularly. Poultry, fish and ground meat should be frozen or cooked after two days and beef, veal, lamb or pork after three to five days.

Concluding thoughts

Cleanliness, correct storage and thorough cooking should always be uppermost in the mind of anyone who is working in a kitchen or with food. A few basic precautions can save suffering, lost workdays and even lives. There are many courses available for those that want to learn more either for professional or personal reasons and there is a wealth of information on the internet. The USDA website is an excellent starting point.