Food

Safe Eating Guidelines

Cake Batter

Unbaked cake batter containing raw eggs is unsafe to eat.

Canned Food

Never buy, prepare or eat food in leaking, bulging or dented cans. Avoid cracked jars or those with loose or bulging lids.

Cookie Dough

Unbaked cookie dough containing raw eggs is unsafe to eat.

Eggs (cooked) & Cooked Egg Dishes

Cook until both yolk and white are firm (not runny). Serve cooked eggs and egg dishes immediately. Refrigerate leftovers immediately. Serve within 2 days or discard.

Desserts such as cream or custard pies and cheesecakes must be refrigerated within six hours of baking. Cheesecakes, cream fillings, custards, quiches and potato salads must be served hot or cold (not room temperature), depending upon the recipe. Refrigerate leftovers immediately.

Eggs (raw) & Raw Egg Dishes

Refrigerate dishes assembled ahead of time containing raw eggs (including strata and quiche) for up to 24 hours. Cook, bake or throw away after 24 hours. Never let raw egg dishes stand at room temperature before baking.

Use only pasteurized eggs or egg products, reconstituted dried eggs or egg whites, or egg substitutes like Egg Beaters® in no-cook dishes such as frosting, eggnog, ice cream, mayonnaise, mousse and Caesar dressing. Commercial versions are safe to eat because they use pasteurized eggs.

Fruits and Vegetables

Wash skins and surfaces thoroughly with cold running water (use a vegetable brush on root vegetables).

Ground Meat

Don't eat or taste raw ground meat. Cook ground meat thoroughly; grinding exposes meat surfaces to bacteria. Ground beef dishes (such as burgers and meat loaf) must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF. Ground pork dishes must be cooked to an internal temperature of 170ºF.

Ham

Check the label and if in doubt, cook ham to 160ºF. Most, but not all, hams are fully cooked but must still be heated to 160ºF.

Hot Dogs

Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks. If hot dog liquid becomes cloudy, throw away meat. Although hot dogs are fully cooked, reheat until they're steaming hot all the way through.

Lunch Meats

Keep refrigerated, and use within 2 weeks. If liquid becomes cloudy, throw away meat.

Marinades

Marinate foods in a heavy plastic food-storage bag or nonmetal dish in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Discard leftover marinades or sauces that have had contact with raw meat, or heat them to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, before serving.

Meat (roasted)

Roast meat or poultry at 325ºF or above. Lower temperatures can encourage bacterial growth before cooking is complete. Cook meat and poultry completely. A meat thermometer comes in handy for making sure meat is done.

Milk

Refrigerate all fresh milk. Store unopened evaporated milk and nonfat dry milk in a cool, dry place for up to several months. Store whole dry milk in the refrigerator to prevent milk fat from turning rancid. Use by the freshness date. Never drink unpasteurized milk or milk products.

Poultry

Cook all poultry to at least 165ºF. Stuff whole poultry (such as turkey and chicken) just before cooking to prevent bacterial growth in the raw poultry.

Poultry that is stuffed for roasting should be stuffed loosely—about 1/2 cup of stuffing per pound of poultry. The center of the stuffing should reach 165ºF. Refrigerate within 2 hours of serving. Use leftovers within 2 days or freeze.

Salad

Refrigerate all salads, including those made with seafood, poultry or meat. Chill both the food and the dish before serving.