Food Safety Articles

Dinner and a movie date night? Ditch the leftovers, not your date!  Remember, leftovers are only safe for 2 hours at room temperature and won’t last through a movie - and only 1 hour if the temperature is over 90°F. After that time, bacteria growth can occur and cause food illness. Likewise, during warmer months bacteria multiply faster – so keeping food safe is more challenging.

Food safety not only affects continued patronage and sales of a food service business, but also public safety. Many businesses require food safety training, so being food safety trained will increase your chances of employment. Furthermore, businesses are willing to pay higher wages to those trained.

Food safety is especially important for older adults. Older adults should avoid certain foods to protect themselves from foodborne illness and adults 65 and older are at a higher risk for hospitalization and death from foodborne illn

Because tailgate parties are an all-day food grilling and feast, there is an increased risk of foodborne illness. Cooking outdoors presents a food safety challenge. Not not only does bacteria multiply faster in warmer temperatures, but preparing food outdoors makes safe food handling more challenging. Every good tailgate party starts with a good game plan - that should include food safety.

Ready to start grilling hamburgers? Bacteria is of special concern with ground beef - because when beef is ground - more of the meat surface is exposed to potential harmful bacteria. For this reason, ground beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F, so as to kill all the bacteria and avoid foodborne illness.