Food Safety Facts Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health

agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring

that the nation’ s commercial supply of meat, poultry , and egg products

is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

USDA Photo

· Clean - Wash hands and surfaces often.

· Separate - Don’t cross-contaminate.

· Cook - Cook to proper temperatures.

· Chill - Refrigerate promptly.

Shopping

· Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after

selecting your non-perishables.

· Never choose meat or poultry in packaging

that is torn or leaking.

· Do not buy food past “Sell-By ,” “Use-By,” or

other expiration dates.

Storage

· Always refrigerate perishable food within 2

hours (1 hour when the temperature is

above 90 °F).

· Check the temperature of your refrigerator

and freezer with an appliance thermometer.

The refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below

and the freezer at 0 °F or below.

· Cook or freeze fresh poultry , fish, ground

meats, and variety meats within 2 days;

other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5

days.

· Perishable food such as meat and poultry

should be wrapped securely to maintain

quality and to prevent meat juices from

getting onto other food.

· To maintain quality when freezing meat and

poultry in its original package, wrap the

package again with foil or plastic wrap that is

recommended for the freezer.

· In general, high-acid canned food such as

tomatoes, grapefruit, and pineapple can be

stored on the shelf for 12 to 18 months. Lowacid canned food such as meat, poultry, fish,

and most vegetables will keep 2 to 5 years -

if the can remains in good condition and has

been stored in a cool, clean, and dry place.

Discard cans that are dented, leaking,

bulging, or rusted.

Basics for Handling Food Safely

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness. You can’t see, smell,

or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In every step of food preparation, follow the four Fight BAC!®

guidelines to keep food safe:

Preparation

· Always wash hands before and after handling

food.

· Don’t cross-contaminate. Keep raw meat,

poultry, fish, and their juices away from other

food. After cutting raw meats, wash hands,

cutting board, knife, and counter tops with

hot, soapy water.

· Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish

in the refrigerator.

· Sanitize cutting boards by using a solution of

1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of

water.

Thawing

· Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow,

safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and

poultry juices do not drip onto other food.

· Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in

a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge in cold tap

water. Change the water every 30 minutes.

Cook immediately after thawing.

· Microwave: Cook meat and poultry

immediately after microwave thawing.

Cooking

· Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal

steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum

internal temperature of 145°F as measured

with a food thermometer before removing

meat from the heat source. For safety and

quality, allow meat to rest for at least three

minutes before carving or consuming. For

reasons of personal preference, consumers

may choose to cook meat to higher

temperatures.

· Ground meat: Cook all r aw ground beef,

pork, lamb, and veal to an internal

temperature of 160°F as measured with a

food thermometer.

· Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal

temperature of 165°F as measured with a

food thermometer.
Basics for Safe Food Handling

Food Safety Information 2

Serving

· Hot food should be held at 140 °F or warmer.

· Cold food should be held at 40 °F or colder.

· When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot

with chafing dishes, slow cookers, and

warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting

dishes in bowls of ice or use small serving

trays and replace them often.

· Perishable food should not be left out more

than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour

when the temperature is above 90 °F).

Leftovers

· Discard any food left out at room temperature for

more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was

above 90 °F).

· Place food into shallow containers and

immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for

rapid cooling.

· Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.

· Reheat lefto vers to 165 °F .

Refreezing

Meat and poultry defrosted in the refrigerator may be

refrozen before or after cooking. If thawed by other

methods, cook before refreezing.

COLD STORAGE CHART

These short, but safe, time limits will help keep refrigerated food from spoiling or becoming dangerous to

eat. Because freezing keeps food safe indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only.

 Product Refrigerator Freezer

 (40 °F) (0 °F)

Fresh, in shell

Raw yolks & whites

Hard cooked

3 to 5

weeks

2 to 4 days

1 week

Do not

freeze

1 year

Does not

freeze

well

EGGS

LIQUID PASTEURIZED EGGS, EGG SUBSTITUTES

opened

unopened

Mayonnaise

Commercial,

refrigerate after

opening

Keep frozen until

ready to heat

3 days

10 days

2 months

—

Does not

freeze

well

1 year

Do not

freeze

3 to 4

months

DELI & VACUUM-PACKED PRODUCTS

Store-prepared (or

homemade) egg,

chicken, ham, tuna,

& macaroni salads

3 to 5 days

Does not

freeze

well

HOT DOGS & LUNCHEON MEATS

Hot dogs

opened package

unopened package

1 week

2 weeks

1 to 2

months

1 to 2

months

Luncheon meat

 Product Refrigerator Freezer

 (40 °F) (0 °F)

opened package

unopened package

3 to 5

days

2 weeks

1 to 2

months

1 to 2

months

BACON & SAUSAGE

Bacon

Sausage, raw — from

chicken, turkey,

pork, beef

Smoked breakfast

links, patties

Hard sausage —

pepperoni, jerky

sticks

7 days

1 to 2 days

7 days

2 to 3

weeks

1 month

1 to 2

months

1 to 2

months

1 to 2

months

SUMMER SAUSAGE

labeled “Keep Refrigerated”

Opened

Unopened

Corned beef, in pouch

with pickling juices

Opened

Unopened

3 weeks

3 months

5 to 7 days

3 to 5 days

6 to 9

months

1 to 2

months

1 to 2

months

Drained,

1 month

1 to 2

months

Do not

freeze

Ham, canned

labeled “Keep Refrigerated

HAM, CORNED BEEF

FROZEN DINNERS & ENTREES
Food Safety Questions?

Basics for Safe Food Handling

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Revised June 2011

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety

education purposes. However, USDA symbols or logos may not be used

separately to imply endorsement of a commercial product or service.

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

Vacuum sealed at plant,

undated, unopened

vacuum sealed at plant,

dated, unopened

Whole

Half

Slices

Hamburger & stew meat

Ground turkey, veal,

pork, lamb, & mixtures

of them

Steaks

Chops

Roasts

Variety meats — tongue,

liver, heart, kidneys,

chitterlings

Pre-stuffed, uncooked

pork chops, lamb chops,

or chicken breasts

stuffed with dressing

Vegetable or meat

added

2 weeks

“Use-By”

date on

package

7 days

3 to 5 days

3 to 4 days

1 to 2 days

3 to 5 days

3 to 5 days

3 to 5 days

1 to 2 days

1 day

3 to 4 days

1 to 2

months

3 to 4

months

6 to 12

months

4 to 6

months

4 to 12

months

3 to 4

months

Does not

freeze

well

2 to 3

months

 Product Refrigerator Freezer

 (40 °F) (0 °F)

HAM, FULLY COOKED

HAMBURGER, GROUND & STEW MEAT

FRESH BEEF, VEAL, LAMB, PORK

Cooked meat & meat

casseroles

Gravy & meat broth

2 to 3

months

1 year

9

months

3 to 4

months

4

months

4 to 6

months

4

months

6

months

1 to 3

months

1 to 2

months

1 month

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 days

1 to 2 days

1 to 2 days

1 to 2 days

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 days

3 to 4 days

 Product Refrigerator Freezer

 ( 40 °F) (0 °F)

COOKED MEAT LEFTOVERS

Chicken or turkey,

whole

Chicken or turkey,

pieces

Giblets

FRESH POULTRY

Fried chicken

Cooked poultry

casseroles

Pieces, plain

Pieces covered

with broth, gravy

Chicken nuggets,

patties

Pizza, cooked

Stuffing, cooked

COOKED POULTRY LEFTOVERS

OTHER COOKED LEFTOVERS

SOUPS & STEWS

Ask Karen!

FSIS’ automated response

system can provide food safety

information 24/7 and a

live chat

during

Hotline

hours.

If you have a question

about meat, poultry,

or egg products, call

the USDA Meat and

Poultry Hotline

toll free at

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The hotline is open

year-round

 Monday through Friday from 10

a.m. to 4 p.m. ET (English

or Spanish).

Recorded food safety

messages are available

24 hours a day. Check

out the

FSIS Web site at

www.fsis.usda.gov. AskKaren.gov

PregunteleaKaren.gov