Ohio State University Extension's, in collaboration with Godman Guild Association, would like to thank and acknowledge the U.S. Department Of Education for funding the Technology Access to Better Learning and Employment (T.A.B.L.E.) Project.
What food storage tips can help prevent food borne illness ?
Does freezing affect the level of nutrients contained in food ?
What food safety precautions should I take when shopping at the supermarket ?
What safety tips do you have for purchasing food through the mail ?
How do you safely prepare food for bag lunches and picnics ?
Can you believe the food safety reports that you read and hear in the media ?
There are three safe ways to thaw food: 1. in the refrigerator, 2. in cold water, and 3. in the microwave oven. The easiest way to thaw meat is in the refrigerator. For more information, click on the following web site:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/bigthaw.htm
How long can food be safely stored in the home?
Once you bring food home, you need to store it properly to ensure good quality and safety. Click on the links below to find specific guidelines for proper storage of items in the refrigerator, freezer and cupboard. For additional storage information, see:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5401.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5402.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5403.html
There are questions about food safety when the refrigerator or freezer fails or is accidentally unplugged. Follow the link to learn more about keeping food safe during a power outage.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/home/freezer.html
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/pofeature.htm
What do the dates on products in the grocery store mean ?
Except for infant formula and some baby food (see below), product dating is not required by Federal regulations. However, if a calendar date is used, it must express both the month and day of the month (and the year, in the case of shelf-stable and frozen products). If a calendar date is shown, immediately adjacent to the date must be a phrase explaining the meaning of that date such as "sell by" or "use before."
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp
What is the proper way to clean fruits and vegetables ?
Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Properly washing and storing these items will help prevent food borne illnesses. Follow the link below to learn more about washing fruits and vegetables.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5353.html
What do consumers need to know about juice safety ?
The PDF document given below gives general safety guidelines for juices:
What are some food storage guidelines ?
Following is a rundown of storage guidelines for some of the foods that are regulars on America's dinner tables.
|
PRODUCT |
STORAGE PERIOD |
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
In Refrigerator |
In Freezer |
||
|
Fresh Meat: |
|
|
|
|
Pork: Chops |
3-5 days |
4-6 months |
|
|
Cured meats: |
|
|
|
|
Gravy |
1-2 days |
2-3 months |
|
|
Fish: |
|
|
|
|
Chicken: whole |
1-2 days |
12 months |
|
|
Dairy Products: |
|
|
|
|
Eggs: fresh in shell |
3 weeks |
- |
|
|
* Cheese can be frozen, but freezing will affect the texture and taste. (Sources: Food Marketing Institute for fish and dairy products, USDA for all other foods.) |
|||
The first rule of food storage in the home is to refrigerate or freeze perishables right away. The refrigerator temperature should be 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), and the freezer should be zero F (minus 18 C). Check both "fridge" and freezer periodically with a refrigerator/freezer thermometer.
Poultry and meat heading for the refrigerator may be stored as purchased in the plastic wrap for a day or two. If only part of the meat or poultry is going to be used right away, it can be wrapped loosely for refrigerator storage. Just make sure juices can't escape to contaminate other foods.
Wrap tightly foods destined for the freezer. Leftovers should be stored in tight containers.
Store eggs in their carton in the refrigerator itself rather than on the door, where the temperature is warmer.
Seafood should always be kept in the refrigerator or freezer until preparation time.
Don't crowd the refrigerator or freezer so tightly that air can't circulate. Check the leftovers in covered dishes and storage bags daily for spoilage. Anything that looks or smells suspicious should be thrown out.
A sure sign of spoilage is the presence of mold, which can grow even under refrigeration. While not a major health threat, mold can make food unappetizing. Most moldy foods should be thrown out. But you might be able to save molding hard cheeses, salami, and firm fruits and vegetables if you cut out not only the mold but a large area around it. Cutting the larger area around the mold is important because much of the mold growth is below the surface of the food.
Always check the labels on cans or jars to determine how the contents should be stored. Many items besides fresh meats, vegetables, and dairy products need to be kept cold. For instance, mayonnaise and ketchup should go in the refrigerator after opening. If you've neglected to refrigerate items, it's usually best to throw them out.
Some precautions will help make sure that foods that can be stored at room temperature remain safe. Potatoes and onions should not be stored under the sink because leakage from the pipes can damage the food. Potatoes don't belong in the refrigerator, either. Store them in a cool, dry place. Don't store foods near household cleaning products and chemicals.
Check canned goods to see whether any are sticky on the outside. This may indicate a leak. Newly purchased cans that appear to be leaking should be returned to the store, which should notify the FDA.
Fortunately, the freezing process itself does not reduce nutrients, and, for meat and poultry products, there is little change in protein value during freezing.
What food safety precautions should I take when shopping at the supermarket ?
While shopping, you should keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods in your grocery shopping cart and your grocery bags. Consider placing these raw foods inside plastic bags to keep the juices contained. Also, transport food home right away and refrigerate perishables immediately to prevent any bacteria from rapidly multiplying in the food. When the weather's hot, place the groceries in the air-conditioned compartment of your car rather than the hot trunk.
What is the proper temperature for my refrigerator ?
Refrigerators should stay at 41 °F (5 °C) or less. A temperature of 41 °F (5 °C) or less is important because it slows the growth of most bacteria. The temperature won't kill the bacteria, but it will keep them from multiplying, and the fewer there are, the less likely you are to get sick from them.
Freezing at zero °F (minus 18 °C) or less stops bacterial growth (although it won't kill all bacteria already present).
Does "freezer burn" make food unsafe ?
Freezer burn is a food-quality issue, not a food safety issue. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots on frozen food. It occurs when air reaches the food's surface and dries out the product. This can happen when food is not securely wrapped in air-tight packaging. Color changes result from chemical changes in the food's pigment. Although undesirable, freezer burn does not make the food unsafe. It merely causes dry spots in foods. Cut away these areas either before or after cooking the food. When freezing food in plastic bags, push all the air out before sealing.
Is mercury in fish a safety concern ?
The answer to this question can be found in a document entitled: FDA Consumer Advisory for Pregnant Women and Women of Childbearing Age who may become Pregnant about the Risks of Mercury in Fish March 2001
How do you spot a safe seafood seller ?
Anyone who's ever smelled rotting seafood at the fish counter has a pretty good idea of what a poorly run seafood market smells like. But the absence of any strong odor doesn't necessarily mean that the seller is practicing safe food handling techniques.
Based on FDA's Food Code, here are some other points to consider:
Employees should be in clean clothing but no outerwear and wearing hair coverings.
They shouldn't be smoking, eating, or playing with their hair. They shouldn't be sick or have any open wounds.
Employees should be wearing disposable gloves when handling food and change gloves after doing nonfood tasks and after handling any raw seafood.
Fish should be displayed on a thick bed of fresh, not melting ice, preferably in a case or under some type of cover. Fish should be arranged with the bellies down so that the melting ice drains away from the fish, thus reducing the chances of spoilage.
What's your general impression of the facility? Does it look clean? Smell clean? Is it free of flies and bugs? A well-maintained facility can indicate that the vendor is following good sanitation practices.
Is the seafood employee knowledgeable about different types of seafood? Can he or she tell you how old the products are and explain why their seafood is fresh? If they can't, you should take your business elsewhere.
What safety tips do you have for purchasing food through the mail ?
The answer to this question can be found in a document entitled: FOCUS ON: Mail Order Food Safety which is maintained on the web site of the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
How do you safely prepare school lunches ?
The answer to this question can be found in a document entitled: USDA Offers Advice for Packing Safe School Lunches which is maintained on the web site of the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
How do you safely prepare food for bag lunches and picnics ?
The answer to this question can be found in a document entitled: FOCUS ON: Safe Food To Go which is maintained on the web site of the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Buy only from reputable sources. Be wary, for example, of vendors selling fish out of the back of their pick-up trucks.
Buy only fresh seafood that is refrigerated or properly iced.
Don't buy cooked seafood, such as shrimp, crabs or smoked fish, if displayed in the same case as raw fish. Cross-contamination can occur.
Don't buy frozen seafood if the packages are open, torn or crushed on the edges. Avoid packages that are above the frost line in the store's freezer. If the package cover is transparent, look for signs of frost or ice crystals. This could mean that the fish has either been stored for a long time or thawed and refrozen.
Put seafood on ice, in the refrigerator or in the freezer, immediately after buying it.
Recreational fishers who plan to eat their catch should follow state and local government advisories about fishing areas and eating fish from certain areas
What is FDA doing about the safety of imported food ?
The FDA has developed new procedures that target "bad actor" importers who violate the rules and undermine the country's food-handling system by bringing unsafe food into U.S. markets.
The procedures now require that food shipments from "suspect" importers be held in a secure storage facility at the importer's expense until released by the FDA. Those who falsify documents or otherwise try to elude customs procedures also may be subject to fines up to the total value of the merchandise.
Some importers attempt to get around FDA regulations by "port shopping," a tactic in which the importer seeks admittance through another U.S. port when attempts at a first port have failed. In a bid to thwart the practice, FDA has proposed a rule that would require marking food shipments refused for safety reasons to indicate that the product had been previously denied entry into the United States.
In addition, FDA is developing a proposed rule that would establish standards for importers and others who use sample-collection services or private laboratories to demonstrate compliance with FDA law.
The procedures and proposals were developed in response to a July 1999 presidential directive to the secretaries of Health and Human Services and Treasury to work together to address the movement of unsafe food into the United States.
For more on the effort to tighten the rules on imported foods, read the FDA Talk Paper available on the Internet at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpimport.html.
Is irradiated food safe to eat ?
Food cannot be irradiated unless the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves it. The FDA has evaluated irradiation safety for 40 years and found the process safe and effective for many foods. Health experts also say that in addition to reducing E. coli O157:H7 contamination, irradiation can help control the potentially harmful bacteria Salmonella and Campylobacter, 2 chief causes of foodborne illness.
Irradiation does not make food radioactive, compromise nutritional quality, or noticeably change the taste, texture, or appearance of food, as long as it's applied properly to a suitable product. It's important to note that irradiation cannot be used with all foods. For example, it causes undesirable flavor changes in dairy products and it causes tissue softening in some fruits, such as peaches and nectarines.
The Radura is the international
symbol for irradiation.
Can you believe the food safety reports that you read and hear in the media ?
We get all kinds of messages about food and food safety everyday. Sometimes the messages are warnings. Sometimes they conflict with the information in a previous report. You might feel confused. Following are a few hints to help you sort through the message maze.
Consider the source.
Where does the message come from? Is the source reliable? Be skeptical of sources that have something personal to gain by convincing you to believe the information. Reliable sources use scientific expertise to back up their claims. Often reliable resources, like the FDA, have authority. Information from reliable sources is usually backed up quickly by other reliable sources.
Consider the scope and the specifics.
Who is affected by the problem or information? Are only people of a certain age, such as newborn babies, affected? What about the amount consumed? Are you likely to consume close to that amount? Certain potent substances--like pesticides--can be used to help produce foods without harming consumers as long as dangerous amounts of the chemicals don't remain on the food. The FDA helps make sure safe limits are maintained. Is the problem confined to a certain area of the country? Is it possible that you have food shipped from that area? Is there a problem with only a specific batch of a product? If so, you need to throw out or return only those items with the affected lot number.
Consider the nature of science.
Most research questions take years to investigate. Before something is taken as fact, the results of an investigation must be repeated by others. Science controversies do exist. Different scientists interpret data differently. Food safety messages based on research can change as scientists discover new information. Researchers draw broad conclusions from studies of large groups of people. Their conclusions about the risk of eating or not eating something are guidelines to individuals, not guarantees.
How can I safely can tomatoes ?
Tomatoes can be safely canned by either the boiling water bath or pressure canner methods. Select only disease-free, preferably vine-ripened, firm fruit for canning. Do not can tomatoes from dead or dying vines. Unripe tomatoes are more acidic than ripened fruit and can be canned safely with any of the following recommendations. Treat all ripe tomatoes (yellow, green, pink, orange, red, etc.) the same.
Follow the guidelines given at the following sites:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5336.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5337.html
Why is salt a good preservative ?
Salt is considered antibacterial because it restricts bacterial growth in many foods. It preserves foods by lowering the amount of "free" water molecules in foods. Bacteria need moisture in order to thrive, so without enough "free" water, they cannot grow well in foods that contain salt.
Freeze-drying is another method of preserving food. During this process, water is removed from food while the food is still frozen by a process known as sublimation. The frozen food is cooled to about -20° F (-29° C). Then it is placed on trays in a refrigerated vacuum chamber, and heat is carefully applied. As a result, any water in the food is changed directly from ice to water vapor without first changing into water. Freeze-dried products include: soups, tea, and instant coffee.
Is it safe to can meat products ?
Meat can be safely preserved using the pressure canner and following specific directions. See the following site for instructions:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5330.html
How long can I keep home canned vegetables and fruits ?
Tightly sealed, cooled jars are ready to be stored. Wash the lid and jar to remove food residue; rinse and dry jars. Label and date jars, and store them in a cool, dark, dry place (5070 degrees F is ideal). Do not store jars above 95 degrees F or near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, in an uninsulated attic, or in direct sunlight. Under conditions such as these, food will lose quality rapidly and may spoil. Dampness may corrode metal lids, break seals, and allow contamination and spoilage. Plan to use home-canned food within one year for optimum quality and nutritional value.
For additional information:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5338.html
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/general/storing_canned_foods.html
What are some signs that a home canned product is unsafe to use ?
If you have any doubt about the safety of a home canned product, follow the old advice of “when in doubt, throw it out”!
Never taste food from a jar with an unsealed lid or food that shows signs of spoilage. As you use jars of food, examine the lid for tightness and vacuum; lids with concave centers have good seals. See the following sites for more detailed information.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5338.html
Other helpful links for more information on Food Safety and Storage !
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/FAQ/hotlinefaqindex.htm
http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fsgadvic.html
http://www.kieto.com/food_safety.htm
http://www.soundvision.com/Info/halalhealthy/safety.asp
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868