Mississippi State Department of Health

Basic Food Safety

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Food contamination is a leading cause of illness, yet one of the easiest to avoid. Proper handling significantly reduces the risk of food-borne illness.

Clean

Wash your hands and surfaces often.

Germs can spread easily in your kitchen. To prevent this:

Separate

Avoid cross-contamination.

Raw meats and other foods can spread their germs to other foods you're preparing. Separating foods helps prevent this.

Cook

Cook foods to a safe internal temperature.

Cooking to the right temperature ensures that germs are destroyed. Using a food thermometer is the safest and most reliable way to measure your food's internal temperature.

Chill

Refrigerate foods promptly to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40°F and 140°F. Refrigerate foods promptly after cooking to cool them to a safe temperature.



Links referenced on this page
Wash your hands and surfaces often.    https://icongr.am/material/hand-water.svg?color=00aadd
Avoid cross-contamination.    https://icongr.am/material/arrow-expand-horizontal.svg?color=00bb00
Cook foods to a safe internal temperature.    https://icongr.am/material/thermometer-alert.svg?color=ff0000
Detailed food temperatures chart    https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures
Refrigerate foods promptly to prevent the growth of bacteria.    https://icongr.am/material/snowflake.svg?color=00ccff

Find this page at http://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/index.cfm/index.cfm

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