It's barbecue time -- and time to remember to use safe food handling practices.
It is important to handle and cook food safely to help reduce the risk of food-borne illness when cooking high risk foods such as chicken and hamburgers.
Salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli O157:H7 have all been associated with undercooked poultry and meat products.
Safe food handling starts at the grocery store:
Check for cleanliness at the store. Retailers who follow safe food handling practices help keep the food safe.
Refrigeration temperature of high-risk foods (meat, poultry, fish) is critical. Refrigerators and freezers in stores must have thermometers, so store operators can check temperatures. Refrigerators must be 4 C (40 F) or colder and freezers must be -18 C (0 F) or colder. In freezers, look for signs of frost or ice crystals. This could mean the food has defrosted and been refrozen.
Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other food in your grocery cart. Meat, poultry and fish should be the last items in your cart. Use separate plastic bags to prevent the food from dripping on other products.
Watch at the checkout that the raw products are packed separately from other foods in grocery bags.
Go straight home after grocery shopping and store high risk foods as soon as possible.
When storing food:
High risk foods such as meat, poultry and fish must be stored in refrigerators at 4 C (40 F) or colder.
Make sure they are stored separately from other foods to prevent cross-contamination.
If you are not using the food items within two or three days, freeze them.
When preparing food:
Always wash hands with soap and water and dry with a paper towel before starting to prepare food and after handling any raw foods.
Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw and cooked food to prevent cross-contamination. Colour coded cutting boards are available at some kitchen stores to help remind you to keep foods separate. Raw meat and poultry juices can spread bacteria to safely cooked food and cause food-borne illness
When cooking food:
Preheat the barbeque before cooking.
Cook food to the proper temperatures and check the inside of the thickest part of the meat with a probe thermometer (chicken pieces 74 C (165 F) or hotter, ground meats (except poultry) 71 C (160 F) or hotter).
When serving food:
Use clean flippers and tongs to remove cooked food from the barbeque.
Use clean plates for cooked food.
Serve food right after cooking.
Leftovers:
Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible and use within two days. Freeze leftovers right away if you're not using them within two days.
If food is left in the danger zone from 4 C to 60 C (40 F to 140) for two hours or longer, throw it out. If preparing food outdoors and the outdoor temperature is very hot, reduce the time in the danger zone to one hour. Remember, you can't always tell if food is safe by smelling or tasting it.
For more information on summer food safety, contact Halton Region at 905-825-6000, toll free 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866), TTY 905-827-9833 or visit www.halton.ca.
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Health Notes is prepared by the Halton Region Health Department
