Food Safety Tips
Foodtown has always had the consumers’ safety first. We work with the
USDA and other agencies to ensure the foods we receive are of the highest quality
standards or they will not be sold at Foodtown. Once the consumer purchases
perishable items from Foodtown, we are concerned that the consumer must continue
to safeguard that their perishable items remain safe to consume once the foods
are brought to your home. Therefore, we offer the following Food Safety Tips
to help everyone ensure proper handling and storage of food products.
The following websites contain additional information about food safety:
• The Food Keeper - a valuable food safety and storage advice.
• Fight BAC! - Partnership For Food Safety Education
• Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency - What to do with food during
and after emergencies
Know your Numbers!
Food safety is one of the biggest concerns today. So, knowing the correct temperatures
and procedures for the safe handling and storage of meat is vitally important.
28-32°F is the ideal temperature for storing fresh meat.
Make sure to always store beef in the coldest part of the refrigerator, as temperatures
above 40°F can cause rapid growth of food poisoning organisms. Recommended
storage time for beef in the refrigerator is no longer than 3-4 days for steaks
and roasts, and no more than 1-2 days for ground beef.
0°F or colder is the ideal temperature for the frozen storage of meat.
If it's not going to be used within a few days of purchase, it should be frozen
as soon as possible. Tightly wrap meat in freezer paper, foil or freezer bags,
then label and date it. Recommended storage time for beef in the freezer is
6-12 months.
Never thaw meat at room temperature.
The safest way to thaw meat is to remove it from the freezer and place it on
a plate in the refrigerator. Should you need to thaw meat more quickly, you
may place it in a plastic bag and run it under cold water. You can also use
a microwave to thaw meat. However, should a microwave be used, the meat must
be cooked immediately after thawing.
Cross contamination is the transfer of harmful substances or microorganisms
to food by hands, other food, or any unclean materials that come into contact
with raw foods. Keep raw foods separate from cooked foods. Keep preparation
areas clean. After use, wash hands and all kitchen equipment thoroughly with
hot, soapy water.
Facts about BSE Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
American cattlemen are family farmers who remain committed to a simple goal
of producing the world’s safest beef that is served on tables around the
world and to their own families. U.S. beef producers have worked with federal
authorities for more than 15 years to set up the system of science-based firewalls
that is working today to keep the food supply safe.
With the recent announcement of a presumptive positive (unconfirmed) case of
BSE in a dairy cow in the state of Washington, many Americans are fearful consuming
beef products.
Click here for some important facts for you to know about BSE
Her are some more links to information about BSE
http://www.usda.gov
http://meatami.org
http://bseinfo.org
For More Information
For more information about food safety, you may call the USDA's Meat and Poultry
Hotline at
1-800-535-4555, 10 AM till 4 PM eastern time, Monday through Friday.
Developed by:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service
in cooperation with
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Food Marketing Institute
For additional Food Safety Information, visit the following
websites:
www.fightbac.org
www.fda.gov
www.fsis.usda.gov
www.cdc.gov
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