May is Food Safety Month

Summertime is approaching, and it won’t be long before it’s time for backyard barbeques and family picnics.

May is Food Safety Month and, Ron Matonich, Environmental Health Director for the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department, reminds area residents to be sure to handle food properly.

Consumers need to know simple steps they can take to prevent foodborne illness, Health Department officials said.

“As the temperature rises, so does the risk of foodborne illness,” said Matonich. “Hot, humid weather creates the perfect conditions for the rapid growth of bacteria.”

“Summer also means more people are cooking outside at picnics, barbeques and camping trips, without easy access to refrigeration and washing facilities to keep food safe,” Matonich said in a statement.

To minimize the risks of foodborne illness, the Health Department recommends the following four steps when handling and preparing food:

Step One – Clean

Wash hands and surfaces often to avoid the spread of bacteria.

— Wash your hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food, and after handling raw meats or poultry, using the bathroom, touching pets or changing diapers.

— Always wash raw fruits and vegetables in clean water. You cannot tell whether foods carry surface bacteria by the way they look, smell or taste.

Step Two – Separate

Keep raw meats and poultry separate from cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.

— When you pack a cooler for an outing, wrap uncooked meats and poultry securely, and put them on the bottom to prevent raw juices from dripping onto other foods.

— Wash all plates, utensils, and cutting boards that touched or held raw meat or poultry before using them again for cooked foods.

Step Three – Cook

Make sure you kill harmful bacteria by properly cooking food.

— Traditional visual cues like color are not a guarantee that food is safe. Don’t guess. Take a digital instant-read food thermometer along to check when meat and poultry are safe to eat. Cooked foods are safe to eat when internal temperatures are:

— 160 degrees for ground meat.

— 165 degrees for leftover food and boned and deboned poultry parts.

— 185 degrees for whole poultry.

Step Four — Chill: Keep cold food cold

— Perishable foods that are normally in the refrigerator, such as luncheon meats, cooked meat, chicken, and potato or pasta salads, must be kept in an insulated cooler with freezer packs or blocks of ice to keep the temperature at or near 40 degrees.

— Put leftovers back in the cooler as soon as you are finished eating.

— The simple rule is: When in doubt, throw it out.