Keep your food Safe

Food poisoning is no fun for anyone.

Healthy eating means more than managing calories or choosing a balanced diet of nutrient-rich foods. The best healthy eating plans also involve safe food handling, cooking, and storage practices that help prevent food poisoning and foodborne illness.

Following four simple steps for safety could help protect you and your loved ones from food poisoning.

Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often.

Wash your hands  for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after preparing food and before eating.

Always wash hands after handling uncooked meat, chicken and other poultry, seafood, flour, or eggs.

Wash your utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.

Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables  under running water.

Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate.

Keep r aw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate , which could spread germs  to ready-to-eat food

Keep raw or marinating meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods in the refrigerator.  We suggest glass containers and jars to store raw meat, poultry and seafood.

Cook to the right temperature.

Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill germs that can make you sick. The only way to tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer. You can’t tell if food is safely cooked by checking its color and texture (except for seafood).

Keep hot foods hot (at or above 140°F) and cold foods cold (less than 40°F).

Microwave foods to 165°F when reheating leftovers.

Chill: Refrigerate promptly.

Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F.

• Package the food into Perfect life’s glass jar and containers. Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below and your freezer at 0°F or below, and know when to throw food out before it spoils .

• Refrigerate perishable food (meat, seafood, dairy, cut fruit, some vegetables, and cooked leftovers) within 2 hours.

• Thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, in cold water , or in the microwave. Never thaw food on the counter because bacteria multiply quickly in the parts of the food that reach room temperature.

With these tips, you don’t have to be worried about food borne illness in your kitchen! Perfect Life company also has some handy information about keep germs out of your food.