Safe food handling tips

By Julie Michener
Oct. 14, 2009

Recent news reports on food safety have again made timely this article with food safety tips originally published over the summer.

“Typical food culprits run the gamut,” says St. Catherine University Assistant Professor of Family, Consumer and Nutritional Sciences Jill Hamilton-Reeves, Ph.D. “Unwashed raw produce, unpasteurized eggs and milk, seafood that’s undercooked or meats that are undercooked or poorly handled.” Common causes of food-borne illnesses include norovirus, Salmonella and E.coli.


Photo courtesy of Anne McDonough and her "Mrs. Magic" flickr photostream. Used with permission.


Hamilton-Reeves is a registered dietitian (RD) and earned her docorate in nutrition from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and is also a National Strength and Conditioning Association–Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT). She teaches courses in advanced nutrition, research in food and nutrition, current issues in food and nutrition, food science and inter-cultural foods.

She notes a few simple tips will maximize fun and minimize the chance that your guests or friends will fall ill.

Handle food safely:
• Always wash your hands with soap and warm water before and after handling food.
• Keep the kitchen, dishes and utensils clean.
• Always serve food on clean plates.

Cook thoroughly:
Fresh and frozen raw meat, poultry and fish should be cooked hot enough to kill any bacteria, parasites and viruses that may be in the food. If you want to use the same marinade in which you’ve prepared raw meats, boil the marinade before cooking with it.

“I recommend using a meat thermometer and keeping meat and juices away from other foods. That's especially important if you're grilling outside,” says Hamilton-Reeves. “And don’t forget to serve grilled food on a clean plate, not the same one that held raw meat, poultry or fish.”

Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold
Cold foods should be held at 40 degrees Farenheit (F) or colder. Keep foods cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice. Otherwise, use small serving trays and replenish them with cold foods from the refrigerator when necessary.

To make sure cold foods chill quickly and evenly, divide them into shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving.

Foods that you intend to serve warm should be reheated to 165 degrees F and should be held at 140 degrees F or warmer. On the buffet table, keep hot foods hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays.

Observe the two-hour rule
• Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Replace empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food in it.

For more information, visit the Minnesota Department of Health’s Food Safety Page or the Partnership for Food Safety Education.

More about nutritional sciences
St. Catherine University’s Family, Consumer and Nutritional Sciences Department prepares students for careers serving family and communities. More information is available at the FCNS website.

Contact Julie Michener, (651) 690-6521

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