Food Safety Action Steps -Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill

Four Steps to prevent foodborne illness: 


CLEAN: Click Here for Sanitizer Bucket Fact Sheet 

  • Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food
  • Wash cutting Boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item
  • Wash Fresh Fruits and vegetables under running tap water before eating, cutting or cooking, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten


SEPARATE to Prevent Cross Contamination:

  • Keep raw meat, poultry, eggs and seafood and their juices away from ready-to-eat food in your refrigerator, shopping cart or grocery bags.
  • Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry and seafood
  • Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs unless the plate has been washed in hot, soapy water


COOK - Keep Hot Foods Hot- 135°F and Above:

  • Using a Food Thermometer is the only way to ensure the safety of meat, poultry, seafood and egg products for all cooking methods.
  • Cook Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb and Fully Cooked Fresh or Smoked Ham to 145°F
  • Cook Ground Meat to 160°F
  • Cook Egg Dishes to 160°F


CHILL- Keep Cold Foods Cold -41°F or below

  • Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the temperature is consistently 41°F or below and the freezer temperature is 0°F or below
  • Cool food quickly: 135°F → 70°F within 2 hours, then 70°F → 41°F or below within the next 4 hours.
  • Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the counter top


IMPORTANT!!

  • No Bare Hand Contact with Ready to Eat Foods (RTE).  RTE includes Salads, Sandwiches and Wraps, Raw Produce, Bakery Items, etc.  See StateFoodSafety - Bare Hand Contact When Serving Ready to Eat Foods
  • Do Not Work if you are sick -  if you have loose bowels/vomit episode or you are feeling unwell, have temperature 100°F or higher.

 

Additional Resources:

Food Safety.gov 4 Steps to Food Safety

Bare Hand Contact Cartoon StateFoodSafety.com

CDC Norovirus Facts for Food Workers

FDA Cooling to Avoid Temperature Danger Zone

Sanitizer Bucket Fact Sheet dpbh.nv.gov/site

Stark Health Dept - Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill (Video)