Stop Foodborne Illness Breaks Down Food Safety Into 3 Bite-Sized Portions!

USA, July 9, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The start of summer brings an array of holidays and activities, including America’s favorite pastime of outdoor grilling with family, friends and neighbors. Stop Foodborne Illness wants to remind backyard “grill masters” of the best techniques to ensure a safe barbeque cookout. As a national, nonprofit, public health organization dedicated to preventing illness and death from foodborne pathogens, Stop Foodborne Illness has the verified facts on food contaminants and how best to avoid serving them with your burgers, sausages, and kabobs.

1) BEFORE YOU COOK
Foodborne illness can be avoided every step of the way, from the moment you pick up a slab of raw meat at the grocery deli to the moment it’s served piping hot from the grill.

At the grocery store, select your raw hamburger, meat, poultry, or other perishable items last. As you fill your cart, keep your raw meat products as far away from other food items as you can. When bagging your food, make sure to put raw meat in separate bags. That way, if the packaging gets punctured somewhere between the store and your kitchen, the raw meat juices won’t contaminate the rest of your food.

Remember to keep raw meat as cold as possible by making the grocery store your last stop before heading home. We suggest having a cooler filled with ice packs ready in the car on days where the temperature is 90°F or higher.


2) WHILE YOU COOK
Preparing the meat is an art form to some serial grillers when it comes to finding the perfect marinade. However, be sure to have two separate quantities of marinade: one for marinating raw meat in the fridge, and another for basting cooked meat off the grill. Under no circumstances should you use raw meat marinade on the cooked meat.

Keep the following temperatures in mind as you grill, using a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat or burger to ensure safe internal temperatures. Remember, using a thermometer is the only way to be sure that your meat is safely cooked through. Sight and smell simply are not accurate indicators.

TYPE OF MEAT SAFE INTERNAL TEMPERATURE
burgers/ground meat 160℉ (72°C)
poultry (including ground) 165℉ (74°C)
whole cuts of meat 145℉ (63°C), w 3 min rest time before serving
fish and shellfish 145℉ (63°C)

When serving cooked meat or poultry, use different utensils and dishes from the ones that made contact with raw meat. You can use the same utensils and dishes ONLY if they have been washed thoroughly with hot water and soap.

3) AFTER YOU COOK
On summer days 90°F or higher, all perishable foods should be eaten or stored safely within an hour, otherwise they should be thrown away. On cooler days, all perishable foods should be eaten and stored within two hours or otherwise thrown away. The best practice is to package all perishable foods into containers and pop them in the fridge or cooler once your family and neighbors have had their fill. That way, you can enjoy the rest of your evening without worrying about foodborne pathogens finding their way onto your leftovers.

The food safety advocates of Stop Foodborne Illness wish you a fun-filled summer full of safe grilling practices. Share these practices with your neighbors and be promoted from grill master to food safety advocate!

Stop Foodborne Illness is a national nonprofit public health organization whose mission is to support and engage people directly impacted by foodborne illness and mobilize them to help prevent illness and death by driving change through advocacy, collaboration and innovation. https://stopfoodborneillness.org/ ###

Dori Wilson PR for
STOP Foodborne Illness
+1 312-965-7575
email us here