6-20-2024 FOOD SAFETY UPDATE

WCHI currently feeds over 1,200 Whitehall & Coplay residents monthly consisting of 430 children (a baby-age 17), 550 adults, and 220 seniors (age 60+). Food items needed, that we cannot obtain from Second Harvest Food Bank, include peanut butter, cold cereal, any kind of pasta, condiments, and spaghetti sauce (no glass bottles please).  Store brands are fine. Please deliver to my Re/Max Unlimited Real Estate office, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall M-F 9am-5 pm
 
This time of year, I write an article on Food Safety.  People do not realize if food is undercooked or not held at proper temperatures, people do get sick and make visits to the emergency room.  It is especially important just to remind you of some food safety guidelines and tips.
 
This valuable information is taken directly from “USDA Urges Consumers to Keep Clear of the Danger Zone This Summer” Released by USDA’s Food Safety Education Staff.  Please read the entire article from May 17, 2016, which still holds true today https://tinyurl.com/3s8pnk4e   I didn’t have a chance to submit this before Memorial Day weekend.
 
“Summer cookouts are right around the corner and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is urging consumers to remember the four simple steps to food safety — Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill — and to steer clear of the “Danger Zone” while cooking outdoors.
 
What is the Danger Zone? The Danger Zone is the temperature range in which bacteria can grow faster. Bacteria can actually double in number in as little as 20 minutes when perishable food is kept in the Danger Zone. In order to steer clear of the Danger Zone, you should always:

1. Keep cold food, at or below 40°F, in the refrigerator, in coolers, or in containers on ice.
2. Limit the time coolers are open. Open and close the lid quickly. Do not leave coolers in direct sunlight.
3. Keep foods served hot at or above 140°F, in chafing dishes, warming trays, slow cookers or on the grill. You can keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they could overcook.
4. Use a food thermometer to check the safe recommended temperatures.
5. Never leave food between 40 and 140˚F for more than two hours.  If the temperature is above 90°F, food should not be left out more than one hour.

 
As always, we remind consumers to follow the four steps to food safety when preparing dishes for a cookout:

1. Clean: Make sure to always wash your hands and surfaces with soap and warm water for 20 seconds before cooking and after handling raw meat or poultry during cooking. Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and work spaces with soap and warm water too. If you plan to be away from the kitchen, pack clean cloths and moist towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands.
2. Separate:  When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.
3. Cook: Always use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of burgers, steaks, chicken, and foods containing meat or poultry. Hamburgers, sausages and other ground meats should reach 160°F. All poultry should reach a minimum temperature of 165°F. Whole cuts of pork, lamb, veal, and of beef should be cooked to 145°F as measured by a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat, and allowed to rest for three minutes before eating. A “rest time” is the amount of time the product remains at the final temperature, after it has been removed from a grill, oven, or other heat source. During the three minutes after meat is removed from the heat source, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys pathogens. Fish should be cooked to 145°F. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside, and by using a food thermometer you can be sure items have reached a safe minimum internal temperature needed to destroy any harmful bacteria that may be present.
4. Chill: After a cookout, place leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate or freeze immediately. Discard food left in the Danger Zone too long. Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!”