Food Safety

Kids & Company Blog

Food Safety

Food safety is especially important when dealing with children. As children’s immune systems aren’t as strong as adults, they are more susceptible to foodborne illness. Foodborne illness is food poisoning caused by pathogens and bacteria that contaminate the food that we eat. Every year millions of people experience foodborne illness, and some people aren’t even aware it was food that caused their ailment. The good news is that foodborne illness is preventable, and by following these 9 simple food safety guidelines you can make sure your family doesn’t need to worry!

Keep hot foods hot! Foods that grow bacteria quickly like beef and poultry should be cooked to a minimum of 165F and should never be kept between 40F-140F for more than 2 hours. By following this rule, you can eliminate the bacteria that grows well at these temperatures which causes foodborne illness.
Keep cold foods cold! Cold foods like salads, lunchmeats and dairy products which require refrigeration should always be kept below 40F. If they stay too long at warmer temperatures bacteria may be able to grow.
Always wash your hands before and after handling food! Bacteria from your hands can be transferred to the foods you are preparing, allowing bacteria to grow. Avoid the transmission of bacteria by washing your hands well with soap and warm water.
Never cross contaminate! When handling raw foods, make sure to clean and sanitize your equipment and workspace before and after prepping and cooking other foods. The bacteria from raw foods can infect other food.
Thaw foods safely. The proper way to thaw frozen raw meat and poultry is to thaw under cold running water. If this way is not feasible, the second best way to thaw raw meat is in the refrigerator. Never thaw food on the countertop, as this is one of the fastest ways for bacteria to grow.
Wash fresh fruits and veggies! Before consuming fresh fruits and veggies it is important to wash off the bacteria it may have come in contact with while growing outside.
Refrigerate and never eat raw eggs! Eggs may contain the bacteria salmonella in their yolks, so it is important to keep them refrigerated so the salmonella does not grow.
Cook ground beef thoroughly! Raw ground meat may contain the presence of E. coli, pathogenic bacteria, which is why it is important that ground meat products be cooked thoroughly to kill these bacteria. Ground beef must reach an internal temperature of 160F to ensure these bacteria are killed.
When in doubt, throw it out! If you are uncertain if your food has gone bad, throw it out. Do not risk tasting it and getting sick.