1. When grilling foods, COOK ground beef to 160°F, steaks to 145°F and chicken to 180°F. Use a thermometer to make sure foods are cooked all the way through.
2. Use SEPARATE cutting boards for raw meat. Alwaysuse a clean plate for cooked meat, poultry or seafood.
3. Store foods in cooler until ready to cook. Pack with plenty of extra ice and shut container tight to keep foods COLD.
4. Wash hands before and after handling food. To CLEAN up, wash cooking utensils and surfaces (consider using paper towels) with hot, soapy water.
5. Marinate foods in the refrigerator. Don’t use sauce that was used to marinate raw meat or poultry on cooked food, unless boiled before reapplying.
6. On hot days (90°F+), don’t leave perishable foods, such as meat, seafood, poultry or eggs, out for more than 1 hour.

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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