CONSUMER ALERTS

January 2009

The Dish on Keeping Your Food Safe

Whether you cook regularly or only turn on the stove every once in a while, you’re bound to spend some time in your kitchen. Make sure everything you prepare and serve is as safe to eat as it is delicious with the help of Kitchen Companion: Your Safe Food Handbook, a free publication from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC).

      Handling food safely starts at the grocery store. Keeping cold food cold is important to reduce the growth of bacteria, so go to the eggs and milk aisle last. And don’t put raw meat or poultry next to other items in your cart or basket. Prevent cross-contamination by placing them in plastic bags, if you can, and separate items as you carry them through the store and home.

       Kitchen Companion also shows you how to decipher the mystery of food labels, so you’ll know when to use and how to properly cook items. You’ll also find tips to help you safely store food in the refrigerator, freezer, or pantry, including a handy chart that outlines how long you can keep foods before you should pitch them.

      And did you know that for every 4 to 5 pounds of frozen turkey, you should allow 24 hours to thaw it in the refrigerator? Or that the internal temperature of your favorite beef brisket should be 145 degrees before you can safely serve it? Kitchen Companion provides lots of charts with roasting times for a variety of meats and poultry, alternate ways to cook turkey, and storage information for cooked and raw eggs in a variety of forms.

      Once your food is cooked, you still need to be careful. Maybe you’re hosting a party buffet or bringing a hot dish to a sick friend’s house. The rules about keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold still apply, whether you’re serving or transporting them. And perishable food should be left out at room temperature no longer than two hours to prevent bacteria from growing.

      You’ll find many other suggestions to keep food safe at home or on the road in Kitchen Companion. There are three easy ways to order this helpful, free brochure:

• Send your name and address to Kitchen Companion, Pueblo, Colorado 81009.

• Visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov/rc/n82kitchencompanion.htm to place your order online or to read or print these and hundreds of other Federal publications for free.

• Or call toll-free 1 (888) 8 PUEBLO. That’s 1 (888) 878-3256, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time and ask for Kitchen Companion.

        Get even more information and take advantage of online government resources at www.USA.gov and www.GobiernoUSA.gov—your official English and Spanish web portals to the Federal government.