FAQs - Food Safety

How do I know which foods are safe to use after a power-outage?
Generally speaking, if the power has been out for less than four hours, or if the food has been held at 40°F or less, the food is safe to use. Discard any perishable foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers that have been above 40° for more than 2 hours or has an off odor, color, texture, or if it feels warm to the touch. For more information about food safety during a power outage visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/pofeature.htm.

How long after I purchase eggs is it safe to use them?
Eggs are safe to use for approximately 4 to 5 weeks past the printed date on the carton. The longer past the date, however, the better it is to use the eggs as either scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs or in a recipe. For valuable information on egg safety visit the American Egg Board's website at http://www.aeb.org/.

Is it safe to thaw frozen meats on the counter?
Never allow foods to defrost at room temperature or in warm water. Instead, use your refrigerator to thaw foods by moving them from the freezer to the refrigerator one or two days before you plan to cook them. For a turkey or large cut of meat allow 24 hours of thawing time for every five pounds. An alternative method for thawing is a microwave oven. However, if thawing is done in a microwave oven, the thawed food must be cooked immediately afterward. For more information on handling food safely visit http://www.fightbac.org.

How can I protect my child from food borne illness while in day care?
Make sure that the people who run the day care center practice appropriate sanitation and food handling techniques. You and the care providers should teach children to wash hands with warm, soapy water before and after going to the bathroom. It is critical for childcare providers and parents to remember to wash hands thoroughly after every diaper check and change. Spread of disease does not require ingestion of food or beverage.

I send brown bag lunches with my kids to school every day. Is there a risk of food borne illness from leaving their lunches unrefrigerated for four hours before lunchtime?
There is a risk anytime perishable food is left at room temperature for more than two hours. To reduce the risk, freeze one of the items to be included with the lunch such as a juice box or a small plastic container of water, which will keep the food cool until lunchtime. A small refreezable ice pack, like those used in coolers, is also useful.

When my family goes on a picnic I pack a cold picnic lunch, but we usually don’t eat for several hours. Are there precautions I should take to prevent food borne illness?
Pack food in a cooler with ice or ice packs. Only pack foods that have been chilled to a temperature at or below 40°F - do not use the cooler to chill room temperature foods. When finished serving cold foods, promptly return them to the cooler. If you plan to cook meat, poultry or fish on a grill while picnicking, pack carefully to prevent leakage, and take along baby wipes or moist towelettes to wash up with after handling the raw foods. A spray bottle filled with clean water and soap is another alternative - this works well for hands as well as surfaces.

My kids love to eat raw cookie dough when I bake cookies. Is this safe?
If your cookie dough contains raw eggs, there is a risk involved. To be safe, use pasteurized eggs when making cookies.

Is it safe to eat rare beef?
Cooked steaks, roasts and other cuts of beef offer a much lower risk of carrying food borne pathogens, since the bacteria exist on the outside and are destroyed in the cooking process. Ground beef is risky to eat rare because the surface bacteria are transferred to the interior of the meat during grinding, giving them a much greater surface area on which to grow. To destroy bacteria, cook ground beef to 160 °F.