• Clean -- Wash hands and surfaces often.
• Separate -- Don't cross-contaminate.
• Cook -- Cook to proper temperatures.
• Chill -- Refrigerate promptly.

• Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables.
• Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.
• Do not buy food past "Sell-By," "Use-By," or other expiration dates.
• Put raw meat and poultry into a plastic bag so meat juices will not cross-contaminate ready-to-eat food or food that is eaten raw, such as vegetables or fruit.
• Plan to drive directly home from the grocery store. If you live farther away than 30 minutes or the weather is hot, you may want to take a cooler with ice for the perishables.

• Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F). Harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness grow rapidly at room temperature.
• Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer. The refrigerator should be at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.
• Cook or freeze fresh poultry, fish, ground meats, and variety meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.
• Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.
• To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer.
• In general, high-acid canned food such as tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can be stored on the shelf for 12 to 18 months. Low-acid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish, and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years -- if the can remains in good condition and has been stored in a cool, clean, and dry place. Discard cans that are dented, leaking, bulging, or rusted.

• Always wash hands before and after handling food.
• Don't cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food. After cutting raw meats, wash hands, cutting board, knife, and countertops with hot, soapy water.
• Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.
• Sanitize cutting boards by using a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water.

• Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food.
• Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately after thawing.
• Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing.

• Cook ground meats to 160°F; ground poultry to 165°F.
• Beef, veal, and lamb steaks, roasts, and chops may be cooked to 145°F; all cuts of fresh pork, 160°F.
• Whole poultry should reach 180°F in the thigh; breasts, 170°F.

• Hot food should be held at 140°F or warmer.
• Cold food should be held at 40°F or colder.
• When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving trays and replace them often.
• Perishable food should not be left out more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F).

• Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 90°F).
• Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
• Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.

For more information: Food Safety and Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Washington, D.C. 20250-3700
FSIS Food Safety Education and Communications Staff

Meat and Poultry Hotline
Phone: 1-800-535-4555 or (202) 720-3333 (voice); 1-800-256-7072 (TTY)

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