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Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to avoiding food-borne illness. Bacteria cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted, and they may be on any food.

Follow the CDC food safety guidelines to keep contaminants away.

Safe shopping

• Buy cold foods last during your shopping trip. Get them home fast.
• Never choose torn or leaking packages.
• Do not buy foods past their "sell-by" or expiration dates.
• Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods.
• Pregnant women should avoid foods that can carry Listeria and should discuss healthy foods during their pregnancy with their OB/GYN physician.

Safe storage of foods

• Keep it safe; refrigerate.
• Unload perishable foods first and immediately refrigerate them. Place raw meat, poultry, or fish in the coldest section of your refrigerator.
• Check the temperature of your appliances. To slow bacterial growth, the refrigerator should be at 40 F (4.44 C) , the freezer at 0 F (-17.7 C).
• Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within two days.

Safe food preparation

• Keep everything clean!
• Wash hands before and after handling raw meat and poultry.
• Sanitize cutting boards often in a solution of one teaspoon chlorine bleach in one quart of water.
• Do not cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash hands, cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water.
• Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator. Discard any uncooked/unused marinade.

Thawing food safely

• Refrigerator: Allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing juices do not drip on other foods.
• Cold water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag and submerge in cold tap water.
• Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing.

Safe cooking

• Use a meat thermometer
• Cook ground meats to 160 F (71 C)
• Cook ground poultry to 165 F (74 C)
• Cook beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts and chops to 145 F (63 C)
• Cook all cuts of fresh pork to 160 F (71 C).
• Whole poultry should reach 180 F (82 C) in the thigh; breasts 170 F (76.6 C).
• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
• Never leave food out more than two hours (or more than one hour in temperatures above 90 F [32 C]).
• Bacteria that cause food poisoning grow rapidly at room temperature.
• Use cooked leftovers within four days.

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