Food Safety is for

Everyone
Module Four
Written and developed by:
Lorraine Harley, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator
Copyright 2010 by Lorraine Harley,
Family and Consumer Sciences Educator
University of Maryland Extension
University of Maryland Extension
Calvert/Charles/St Marys Counties

Equal Access Programs

Module 4
Temperature
Matters
Copyright 2010 by Lorraine Harley,
Family and Consumer Sciences Educator,
University of Maryland Extension

Temperature matters:
Proper:
Thermometer

use

140

Cooking
Cooling
Thawing
Reheating
Hot

holding

40

Why use a food thermometer?

To

confirm safe minimum

internal food temperatures to
prevent foodborne illness

Its Safe to Bite When the

Temperature is Right

Which burger is safe to eat?

Which burger did you pick?

Temperature matters!

How to use a food

thermometer

Ground beef, veal & lamb

160 F

Temperature Matters!
Beef, Veal, Lamb
Steaks and
Roasts

145 F

Fish

145 F

Temperature Matters!
Turkey,

Chicken & Duck Whole,

(pieces & ground)

165 F

Fresh ham
Raw
160F

Fully cooked ham

To reheat:
140F

Temperature Matters!
All

egg dishes and leftovers:

165 F

Safety
Versus
Doneness

Refrigerator/freezer temperatures

Refrigerator

40 or slightly below

Freezer

0 F

Myoglobin in meat
Is

a protein found in the muscle fibers of

meat, poultry and seafood.

Are

color changes in meat normal?

Thawing food safely

When
What

was the last time you thawed food?

method did you use

Thawing food safely

continued

There are 3 safe ways to thaw

food safely:
In

the refrigerator
In the microwave or
In a tub or pot of cold water

Thawing food safely

Continued

Gee,

I think I changed my mind. I

dont want to eat the food I just
thawed out.

Can

I re-freeze the food??

Keep cold foods cold

40F

or below

Hot holding: keep hot foods hot

Remember the
2 hour rule
140 or above

Reheating foods safely

Microwave
Stove
Oven

top

Microwave cooking
Microwave

cooking does not always

provide even heating.

After

defrosting in a microwave,
always cook foods immediately

Cooling foods down

Do

not overfill the refrigerator

Break

large pots into shallow containers

Break

down large pieces of meat and

turkey

Lets go shoppingagain
Always

purchase non-perishable
items first

Frozen foods
Always

purchase frozen
items after nonperishable items

Dented cans

Do not buy dented cans!

Packaging
Never

buy meat, poultry or other foods in

torn packaging.

What types of foods are dated?

Dates

are found mostly on

perishable foods such as:

Meat
Poultry
Eggs
Dairy

products

Federal law and dating

requirements:
Only

required on infant
formula and some baby food.

Types of food dating:

Sell-By
Best

if used By
Use-By
Closed or coded dates

Sell-by

Informs

the store how long to display

the product for sale

Always

buy the item before the SellBy date

Best if used by

This

date is recommended for the

best flavor or quality of a product

It

is not a purchase or safety date

Use-by
This

date is the last date

recommended for the use of the
product while at peak quality

The

manufacturer determines this

date

Canned food

May have open dates (calendar)

High-acid- 12 to 18 months (grapefruit, tomatoes)

Low acid- 2-5 years (meats, fish,poultry, most

vegetables

Only if can is in good condition/stored in a clean,

cool dry place
Copyright 2010 by Lorraine
Harley, Asssitant Professor,
University of Maryland Extension

Closed or coded dates

This

date refers to packing

numbers for use by the
manufacturer

Expiration dates
If

the date expires during home storage, a

product should be safe and of good
quality if it is handled properly and stored
at 40 F or below

Cleaning the refrigerator

Follow

the manufacturers
instructions

Wipe

up spills

Chose

cleaners carefully

Weekly

toss out

Cleaning the refrigerator

continued

Cooked

leftovers4 days
Raw poultry; ground meats1-2 days
Keep odors down- baking soda
Clean refrigerator coils
When in doubt toss it out!!

Refrigerator odors
Equal

vinegar and water

Solution of baking soda and water. Air
dry
Rolled newspaperthen vinegar and
water

(Procedures may have to be repeated)

Refrigerator odors
Continued
Coffee

groundsbaking soda-several days

several days

Freezercotton

Commercial

swabvanilla24 hours

product

(Procedures may have to be repeated)

Summer time
Does foodborne illness peak in
the Summer?

What can we do during summer

months?
Clean
Separate
Cook
Chill

Egg storage
Raw eggs in shell:

Refrigerate: 3 to 5 weeks
Freeze: after opening egg and beating white and
yolk together.

Raw egg white:

Refrigerate: 2 to 4 days
Freeze: 12 months

Egg storage
Raw egg yolks:

Refrigerate: 2 to 4 days
Freeze: Yolks do not freeze well.

Raw egg frozen accidentally in shell:

Refrigerate: use immediately when thawed.

Freeze: when ready to use, refrigerate to thaw.

Egg substitutes
Liquid egg substitutes (unopened):

Refrigerate: 10 days
Freeze: 12 months

Liquid Egg Substitutes (opened)

Refrigerate 3 days
Never freeze

Hard cooked eggs

Hard cooked eggs:

Refrigerate: 7 days
Never freeze

Freezer storage:
Once

a perishable food item is frozen,

before the date expires, it does not
matter if the date expires while the food is
frozen; foods kept frozen continuously
are safe indefinitely

Freezer facts:
Preventing

wrap-date-FIFO

freezer burn

Special topics
Thunderstorms
Mercury

and Methylmercury
Bisphenal A (BPAs)
Keeping baby safe

Thunderstorms
The

refrigerator

The

freezer

Fish, Shellfish and

Mercury
Methylmercury

Do Not Eat:
Swordfish
Shark
Tilefish
King

mackerel

Fish lower in methylmercury and

Most commonly eaten are:
Shrimp
Canned
Salmon
Pollock
Catfish

light tuna

Bisphenol A (BPAs)
Bisphenol

A is a plastic chemical used to

make polycarbonate plastic products:

Water bottles
Baby bottles
Canned foods (lining of metal food cans)
Food storage and heating containers
Some childrens toys

Possible effects of BPA:

(Found in animal studies only)

Miscarriage
Obesity
Altered brain development and behavior
Altered immune system
Prostate/breast cancer
Early onset of puberty
Lowered sperm count
Hyperactivity

To minimize exposure to BPAs

Limit

your intake of canned foods

Avoid polycarbonate plastic (usually #7)
Use

glass baby bottles or:

Polypropylene
Polyethylene

To minimize exposure to BPAs

Use

powdered baby formulas (non-steel

cans)

Heat

foods in ceramic or glass containers.

BPAs
Look

for BPA free plastic

containers

FDA assessment of BPA

As of January 2010:
The FDA supports the industrys actions to
stop producing BPA-containing bottles and
infant feeding cups for the U. S. market.

Keeping Baby Safe

Food Safety

What can I do to keep my baby

safe?
Follow

the manufactures
recommendations

Observe
Check

the use-by dates

commercial baby food jar lids

What can I do to keep my baby

safe? Continued
When

traveling with the baby, use

insulated coolers or gel packs to
transport bottles and food

Place

the ice chest in the passenger

compartment of the car. It is cooler than
the trunk

DO Not
Make

Put

more formula than you need

a bottle back into the refrigerator

if the baby does not finish it

Do Not
Feed

a baby from a jar of baby food

and then place it back in the
refrigerator

Do Not
Serve

raw or unpasteurized milk, fruit or

vegetable juice to infants or young
children

Leave

formula out at room temperature

for more than 2 hours

Place

dirty diapers in the same bag with

bottles or food

Two methods to heat breast milk

or formula
In

hot tap water (1 -2 minutes)

On

the stove:

Heat water in a pan

Remove the pan from the heat and
place the bottle in the pan until warm

Food safety policy

House proposes new
food safety laws

FIGHT BAC!
CLEAN
Wash hands and surfaces often

SEPARATE
Dont cross contaminate

COOK
Cook to proper temperatures

CHILL
Refrigerate promptly

Copyright 2010 by Lorraine Harley,

Family and Consumer Sciences Educator
University of Maryland Extension

To learn more:

www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Be_Smart_Keep_Foods_Apart/in
dex.asp

http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?
id=58821

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/refrigeration_&_food_safety
/index.asp

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/eggstorage.html
Copyright 2010 by Lorraine Harley,
Family and Consumer Sciences Educator
University of Maryland Extension