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 Most people don’t think about food safety until they, or someone
they know, get sick after eating contaminated food. The Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) estimates that roughly 1 in 6 Americans (48
million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of
food borne diseases each year.
The CDC recommends the following steps to help keep your food safe:
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before, during, and
after preparing food.
• Thoroughly clean food-preparation surfaces often and especially
between uses for preparation of raw, potentially hazardous foods and
foods that are ready to eat.
• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.
• Thaw your frozen turkey or other meat properly. Frozen foods are
the safest when thawed in the refrigerator, but on short notice, can
also be thawed in the sink under cold running water.
• Cook food to its proper internal temperature. Use an accurate food
thermometer by inserting it into the thickest portion of the food
item to properly check.
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• If preparing a turkey, it is safest to cook the stuffing separate from, and
not inside, the turkey as the stuffing can act as an insulator which can prevent
the turkey from reaching the proper temperature.
• Keep foods out of the “Danger Zone.” Cold foods should be held at 41°F or
below while hot foods should be held at 135°F or above. Refrigerate or freeze
any perishable food within 2 hours after serving.
• To prevent cross-contamination in refrigeration, store raw,
potentially-hazardous foods, such as meat and eggs, separate from or below food
that is ready-to-eat.
For more information, contact LCDPH at 217-735-2317 or log onto their website at
WWW.LCDPH.ORG.
[Don Cavi, MS, LEHP
Public Health Administrator
Logan County Department of Public Health]
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