Home Food Safety

Keeping Food Safe at Home


According to some studies, 20% of foodborne illnesses occur from foods prepared in a private home. 
Check out this satire Environmental Health staff developed around home food safety!

The most important food safety tips are:

  • Do not prepare food when sick
  • Wash hands frequently, especially when switching from raw meat products to ready to eat foods or after using the restroom.
  • Cook foods thoroughly
    • Burgers, >155ºF
    • Chicken, >165ºF
    • Eggs, >145ºF
  • Keep hot foods hot (>135ºF) and cold foods cold(<41ºF).
  • Cool foods rapidly from 135ºF to 41ºF
  • Avoiding cross contamination of raw meat products with ready to eat foods; this includes utensils, cutting boards, faucets, etc.

For more home food safety topics or for videos in Spanish, please visit the USDA Food Safety YouTube channel.

Interactive and multimedia food safety tips for the home can be found at fightbac.org.  

Summer Food Safety  

Memorial Day signals the start of a season where food is on the move!  From picnics to cookouts and barbecues-in the backyard and beyond.  Since food poisoning spikes in the summer, it’s the perfect time to remind consumers about what they can do to reduce their risk.

Escaping the kitchen doesn’t mean escaping bacteria! Check out this Food Safety at the Grill flyer to help remind you of what to do when preparing foods in the great outdoors. Share this with someone you know who is planning an outdoor summer event.