FoodMaxx Food & Safety Tips

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Top 10 Tips

Handling Food Safely

Minimize the risk of foodborne illness…during the holidays and everyday!

Whether it’s a holiday or everyday, we need to handle food safely to protect our family and friends from foodborne illness. Nothing ruins a meal or shuts down a party faster than food that has spoiled. Food handled safely keeps its flavor and texture, allowing us to enjoy it longer.

When we handle food safely we also help lower our overall food bill. Less spoilage means less waste, and a bigger bang for our buck.

1. Keep cold foods cold. Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, and other perishables as soon as you get home. Your refrigerator should be 40ºF or below to keep perishable foods fresh. To keep cold foods cold in a buffet you can place their containers in a larger container filled with ice. When you open a party tray from the grocery store you can fill the lid with ice and place the tray on the top.

2. Keep hot foods hot. Serve hot foods immediately. Use chafing dishes, crock pots, or warming trays to maintain a temperature of at least 140ºF.

3. Never defrost food at room temperature. Food should be defrosted in the refrigerator, in cold running water, or in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or the microwave should be cooked immediately.

4. Marinate food in the refrigerator. The “sweet spot” for bacterial growth is above 40ºF and below 140ºF. Don’t put the marinade on cooked food after raw food has been sitting in it. Boil the marinade before applying it to cooked food.

5. Separate raw ingredients to minimize cross-contamination. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from each other and from ready-to-eat foods – in the grocery cart, in grocery bags, in your refrigerator, and on your kitchen counters. Use different cutting boards and knives for different foods when you work with several foods simultaneously. Never put cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, seafood, poultry, or eggs.

6. Use a food thermometer. Appearances can be deceiving. Food that is burned on the outside could still be raw on the inside. The internal temperature of the food is the most important measure of doneness. Remember to clean the thermometer’s probe after every use.

7. Wash, wash, wash. Prevent the spread of bacteria by keeping your hands, cutting boards, knives, countertops, and other cooking implements clean – 20 seconds in hot, soapy water will do the trick. Use disposable paper towels to clean kitchen surfaces, or wash your cloth kitchen towels in hot water. Place the scrubbers in the dishwasher to sanitize them.

8. Be extra careful with raw foods. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables very well in cold running water and, if needed, pat them dry with paper towels or a fresh, clean cloth towel. Eating raw baked goods such as cookie dough may not be such a treat if it contains raw eggs, which can harbor Salmonella.

9. Keep your appliances clean. Take advantage of the self-cleaning feature on your oven. Wipe up spills in the refrigerator and on the stove top quickly and check for crosscontamination. Kill the bacteria growing in food particles that are caught in your kitchen drain and disposal by pouring a mixture with one teaspoon of bleach in one quart of water down the drain twice a week.

10. Handle leftovers properly. Follow the two-hour rule: Chill leftovers within two hours, preferably right after your meal. Package them for refrigeration in several small containers rather than one large one – this will bring the temperature down to 40ºF more quickly. Serve them again within four days and reheat them to at least 165ºF. Bring sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil before serving them.

Research by the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE) revealed that 75 percent of shoppers believe that food-related illness is a serious threat to their health, and that it is “very important” for food companies to remind them about safe food handling. The stores of Save Mart Supermarkets participate in the effort spearheaded by the PFSE and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote the Be Food Safe program. Information is available on www.BeFoodSafe.org.

Save Mart Supermarkets operates nearly 250 stores throughout Northern California and Northern Nevada under the Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky, and FoodMaxx banners. The privately-held company was founded January 17, 1952 and has always been headquartered in Modesto, California. More information about the company and its banners is available at www.savemart.com, www.luckysupermarkets.com and www.foodmaxx.com. Its consumer relations group can be called toll-free at 800-692-5710.

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Each week nearly 4000 Food Maxx associates join together- as bakers, meat cutters, produce "pros", checkers, stockers, and janitors- to make the Food Maxx shopping experience end in Ultimate Customer Satisfaction. Food Maxx's commitment to safe food starts with product quality, maintaining proper temperatures, and preventing food contamination while food is in our care. Therefore, all department managers have been certified by the National Food Safety Professional Program so they're equipped to set safety and sanitation goals well above the expectations of any regulatory agency and, more importantly, to meet the highest of customer expectations! To help you ensure food safety in your home, take these quizzes then do your part!

ANSWERS: 1. Yes. Divide large quantities of food into shallow containers for quicker cooking; 2. False. Refrigeration slows, but does not prevent the growth of harmful bacteria; 3. 40°F discourages the growth of food-borne bacteria. Use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature of your refrigerator regularly.

Cool Rules

1. Chill Factor: Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within 2 hours of purchase or use. Always marinate in the refrigerator.
2. The Thaw Law: Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw in the refrigerator; or for a quick thaw, submerge in cold water in airtight packaging; or thaw in microwave and cook immediately.
3. Divide and Conquer: Separate large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quicker cooling.
4. Avoid Pack Attack: Do not over-stuff the refrigerator; cold air must circulate.
5. Rotate Before It's Too Late: Use or discard chilled foods on a regular basis.
6. Don't Go Too Low: Close to 32 degrees, ice crystals can form and lower quality of raw fruits, vegetables and eggs. A refrigerator thermometer will help you "zone" in on the correct temperature: 40°F.

ANSWER: D. 20 seconds.

4 Steps to Give Bacteria the Boot

1. CLEAN: Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared foods and leftovers within 2 hours of purchase or use. Always marinate in the refrigerator.
2. COOK: Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw in the refrigerator; or for a quick thaw, submerge in cold water in airtight packaging; or thaw in microwave and cook immediately.
3. SEPARATE: Separate large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quicker cooling.
4. CHILL: Do not over-stuff the refrigerator; cold air must circulate.

Give bacteria the "cold shoulder" by keeping the temperature in your fridge at 40°F or below. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check it... NOT the numbered dial that helps you adjust temperature.

ANSWERS: 1.cooking; 2. C- You can't tell whether food has been cooked thoroughly by its taste, look, or touch. Always use a food thermometer; 3. D- Wash the food thermometer in hot, soapy water; 4.A hot dog.