Worldwide Food Service Safety Month

The goals of this Worldwide Food Service Safety Month is to focus on keeping food safe as it’s prepared in the service industry, but also to teach us to be safe and cook properly when we are making our own food at home.

One in ten people become sick every year from eating contaminated food, and 420,000 people are killed from these illnesses every year. These types of illnesses can cause long-term health problems if they don’t kill you, so it’s very important to be safe about preparing food. Children younger than 5 years old are at the highest risk. However, if you prep and prepare food properly it can almost prevent all foodborne illnesses.

Here are some food sanitation tips for next time you’re cooking a meal at home:

1. Wash your hands with warm water and soap before handling food and make sure you thoroughly wash them again when you’re done.
2. If you have any cuts on your fingers, hands, or wrists, cover them with bandages before handling food.
3. Thoroughly wash your fruits and veggies with clean, warm water before use.
4. Make sure your cooked foods are separate from raw foods to avoid harmful bacteria cross-contamination.
5. Use fresh utensils when switching from raw meat to other foods during preparation.
6. Regularly wash your dishcloths and towels in the kitchen using hot water to keep as clean as possible.
7. Do not undercook your meat. Use a thermometer to make sure you get it right!