The Huron County Health Unit has issued some timely tips on food preparation this weekend.
This weekend of course is Easter weekend and April 7 is World Health Day.
Public Health Manager Christina Taylor says the most important part of food preparation is hand washing. She says hands should be washed quickly after every stage of prep.
Taylor also points out germs can live a long time on a counter top or cutting board, so utensils and cutting services should be wiped clean at the end of each process.
Taylor says everyone should have a meat thermometer to make sure they're cooking meat to a safe temperature. More safety tips can be found on the Huron County Health Unit web site.
Common safe food handling practices include:
- Washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
- Cleaning cutting boards, utensils, and countertops with warm water and dish soap; rinsing and sanitizing.
- Separating raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods in your grocery bags and in your refrigerator.
- Keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from food items that won’t be cooked.
- Cooking food to a safe internal temperature.
- Using a probe food thermometer to test whether food is thoroughly cooked.
- Chilling leftovers and takeout foods within two hours.
- Keeping the fridge at 4 C (40 F) or below.
The Huron County Health Unit is also launching a Safe Food contest and asking people to submit a selfie of themselves preparing food safely. Details of the contest can be found on the Huron County Health Unit web site.
