How to: Be Food Safe Canada

Summary

This video emphasizes the importance of food safety at home by highlighting the four key practices: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. It advises on proper hand washing, cleaning utensils and countertops, and avoiding cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods. It stresses the need to use a food thermometer to ensure foods reach safe internal temperatures and provides guidelines for safe defrosting methods. Additionally, the video explains how promptly refrigerating perishables and maintaining safe temperatures in the fridge can reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. For more information, viewers are encouraged to visit befoodsafe.ca.

Takeaways

• 😀 Wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.
• 😀 Clean cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water before and after preparing each food item.
• 😀 Rinse all fresh fruits and vegetables under cool running tap water, even those with inedible skins or rinds.
• 😀 Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm-skinned fruits and vegetables while rinsing.
• 😀 Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices separate from other foods in your shopping cart, grocery bag, and refrigerator.
• 😀 Use separate cutting boards for fresh produce and raw meat, poultry, and seafood to avoid cross-contamination.
• 😀 Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs without washing it first.
• 😀 Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of cooked foods, as color is not a reliable indicator of doneness.
• 😀 Do not defrost food at room temperature. Use the refrigerator, cold water (changed every 30 minutes), or microwave for safe defrosting.
• 😀 Refrigerate or freeze perishables like meat, poultry, eggs, and leftovers within two hours of purchase or preparation, and keep your fridge at 4°C or lower.

Q & A

What are the four easy lessons for preventing harmful bacteria in food handling?

The four easy lessons are: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

How should you wash your hands to prevent foodborne illness?

You should wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.

What should you do with cutting boards, dishes, and utensils after preparing food?

You should wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water before and after preparing each food item.

How should you rinse fresh fruits and vegetables?

You should rinse all fresh fruits and vegetables under cool running tap water, even those with skins or rinds that will not be eaten.

Why should you separate raw meat from other foods?

Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices should be kept apart from other foods to prevent cross-contamination.

What is a reliable method for determining whether food is cooked to a safe temperature?

A food thermometer should be used to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods, as color is not a reliable indicator of doneness.

What are the recommended safe temperatures for cooking different foods?

You should cook meat, poultry, egg dishes, casseroles, and leftovers to the internal temperatures shown in the provided chart (which is not specified in the transcript).

How should food be thawed safely?

Food should be thawed in the refrigerator, in cold water (changing it every 30 minutes), or in the microwave. Food thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately.

Why is refrigerating food promptly important?

Bacteria multiply fastest between 4°C and 60°C, so chilling food promptly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

What temperature should your fridge be kept at to ensure food safety?

Your refrigerator should be kept at 4°C (40°F) or lower, and you should use a refrigerator thermometer to check the temperature.