Food Safety at Home

At Publix, we take pride in offering our customers fresh, wholesome and delicious foods. And we care about helping you bring the highest quality, safest meals to your table. That's why we carefully inspect all of our products both before and after they enter our store. And, we actively train our managers and associates on the importance of being food smart. To ensure that your food stays safe after leaving Publix and while you're preparing it, be sure to follow the simple guidelines outlined below. Together we can be food smart!

Clean
Wash hands and surfaces often.

• Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, utensils, sponges and counter tops.



• Wash your hands with hot, soapy water for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice) before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling pets.



• Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counter tops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.



• Use plastic or other nonporous cutting boards. These boards should be run through the dishwasher — or washed in hot, soapy water — after use.



• Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.



• Always wash fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them.

Separate
Don't cross-contaminate.

Cross-contamination is the scientific word for how bacteria can be spread from one food product to another. This is especially true when handling raw meat, poultry and seafood, so keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.

• Separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods in your grocery shopping cart and in your refrigerator.



• If possible, use a different cutting board for raw meat products.



• Always wash hands, cutting boards, dishes and utensils with hot soapy water after they come in contact with raw meat, poultry and seafood.



• Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood.

Cook
Cook to proper temperatures.

Food safety experts agree that foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause food-borne illness.

• Use a clean thermometer, which measures the internal temperature of cooked foods, to make sure foods are cooked all the way through, and have reached a safe minimum internal temperature.



• Cook roasts and steaks to at least 145°F. Whole poultry should be cooked to 165°F for doneness.



• Cook ground beef, where bacteria can spread during processing, to at least 160°F. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) link eating undercooked ground beef with a higher risk of illness.



• Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. Don't use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked.



• Fish should be cooked to 145°F.



• When cooking in a microwave oven, make sure there are no cold spots in food when bacteria can survive. For best results, cover food, stir and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking.



• Bring sauces, soups and gravies to a boil when reheating. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to at least 165°F.

Chill
Refrigerate promptly.

Refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. So set your refrigerator no higher than 40°F and the freezer unit at 0°F. Check these temperatures occasionally with an appliance thermometer.

• Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within two hours or sooner.



• Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, under cold running water or in the microwave. Marinate food in the refrigerator. Never refreeze thawed food.



• Divide large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator. Larger pieces of meat should be cut into smaller portions to chill it faster. Rule of thumb: Use containers with two-inch depth for foods such as chili or stews. Use containers with a three-inch depth for thinner foods such as soups and broths. Loosely cover to allow heat to escape.



• Don't pack the refrigerator. Cool air must circulate to keep food safe.

For More Information About Safe Food Handling and Preparation
USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline: 800-535-4555, www.fsis.usda.gov
FDA's Food Information and Seafood Hotline: 888-723-3366, www.cfsan.fda.gov
Partnership for Food Safety Education Web Site: www.fightbac.org