FOOD SAFE FAMILIES

ACTIVITY BOOK

CLEAN. CLEAN. CLEAN. CLEAN. CLEAN

PARATE. SEPARATE. SEPARATE. SEPA

COOK. COOK. COOK. COOK. COOK. CO

HILL. CHILL. CHILL. CHILL. CHILL. CHIL

 FOR 

 KIDS!

United States Department of Agriculture

June 2011

Slightly Revised November 2019

Food Safety and Inspection Service

befoodsafe.gov

United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

We developed this activity booklet to help you learn what you need to keep your family food safe! 

Remember, fighting food poisoning is important for you and your family, so check your steps at FoodSafety.gov.

Hey Kids,

Food safety is important for you and your family. That’s why you should always 

remember to keep your family safe from food poisoning! It is easy and fun to 

do if you follow these four important steps.

WASH HANDS AND 

SURFACES OFTEN 

SEPARATE RAW MEATS 

FROM OTHER FOODS

COOK TO THE RIGHT

TEMPERATURE

REFRIGERATE FOOD

PROMPTLY
BAC (bacteria) can be hiding just about anywhere: 

in your kitchen, on your plate and even on your hands! 

The invisible enemy (BAC) can multiply and make you sick. 

But you can Fight BAC!® by following these important rules:

n Wash your hands and surfaces often.

n Wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds 

before and after handling food.

n Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water 

just before eating, cutting, or cooking.

n Wash your hands:

• Before you make or eat a snack or meal,

• After playing with pets, and

• After using the bathroom.

n Always use clean knives, forks, spoons and plates.

n Cooked foods should not be placed on the same plate 

that held raw meat, poultry or fish unless the plate has been 

washed first in hot, soapy water.

n Put food on clean surfaces. Never put your sandwiches 

or snacks on a dirty table or counter.

n Put backpacks and books on the floor. Don’t put them on 

the kitchen table or counters.

Kids, complete this puzzle

to help Fight BAC!® *

5

1

2 3

4

6

7

DOWN

1. Place your ______ on the floor, not on the 

kitchen counter or table.

2. Always use clean knives, spoons, plates 

and ______.

3. Use running tap water to rinse fruits 

and ______.

ACROSS

4. Place ______ foods on a clean plate.

5. Wash your hands with warm water and ______.

6. Counters should be ______ before you put food 

on them.

7. Wash your hands after playing with ______.

Answers: Down 1-backpack 2-forks 3-vegetables

Across 4-cooked 5-soap 6-clean 7-pets

Check your steps at FoodSafety.gov

* Fight BAC!® and BAC! images, © 2005, Partnership for Food Safety Education.
befoodsafe.gov

United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Kids, can you separate the

Food Safety words from the

jumbled letters?

Cross-contamination is the scientific word for how 

bacteria can be spread from one food product to 

another. This is especially true when handling raw 

meat, poultry, eggs and seafood, so keep these foods 

and their juice away from ready-to-eat foods!

Right now there may be an invisible enemy ready to 

strike. He’s called BAC (foodborne bacteria) and he 

can make you sick. But you have the power to Fight 

BAC!® Be Smart. Keep Foods Apart – Don’t CrossContaminate! Here are some things that you and your 

parents can do to Fight BAC!®

n Keep raw meat and poultry apart from foods that 

won’t be cooked.

n Wash hands with warm soapy water for 20 

seconds.

n Always wash cutting boards, dishes and utensils 

with hot, soapy water after they come in contact 

with raw meat, poultry, eggs and seafood.

n Never place cooked food on a plate that previously 

held raw meat, poultry and seafood.

RAW MEAT

WASH HANDS

CLEAN PLATE

HOT WATER

SICK

SOAPY

SEPARATE

FIGHT 

WORD BANK

C Y S S C I E N C E E E E

O R D S O A P Y R C N T Q

I W I C O H Q B O L C A T

E A S U S I C K S E E R T

H S I T W E T C S A R A R

D H N T K C E O C N O P E

U H F I G H T U O P S E T

T A E N G B T N N L S S A

A N C G E A F T T A E P W

E D T B G C P E A T A Y T

M S S O T T O R M E F Y O

W A A A S E U S I E O D H

A D F R S R L E N I O A Y

R O E D C I T R A S D S X

R L R O F A G H T C I M R

Y R T L U O P C E I E T L

BACTERIA

POULTRY

COUNTERS

SCIENCE

SAFE

SEAFOOD

CUTTING BOARD

CROSS CONTAMINATE
befoodsafe.gov

Hey kids, did you know that BAC (foodborne bacteria) can’t be seen, smelled 

or tasted and can make you sick? You can help your parents to Fight BAC!®

by reminding them of these important safe cooking tips.

n Use a food thermometer – you can’t tell food is cooked safely by how it 

looks.

n Always cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature.

• Beef, pork, veal, lamb, steaks, roasts and chops to 145 oF with a 

3-minute “rest time” after removal from the heat source.

• Chicken and turkey – whole, pieces or ground to 165 oF. 

• Ground meats including hamburgers, and egg dishes to 160 oF.

• Reheat leftovers to 165 oF.

n Always place the food thermometer in the thickest part of the food, away 

from bone and fat to check the temperature.

n When cooking in a microwave oven, stir, cover, and rotate food for even 

cooking. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature in the food in 

several places.

n Let food stand for a few minutes after cooking it in the microwave.

n Always cook eggs before eating them. When cooked, eggs should be firm, 

not runny. Kids, unscramble

each of the clue

words. Copy the

letters in the

numbered boxes

to other boxes at

the bottom with

the same number

to find the secret

message.

Answer key: DOFO-FOOD, PETERTAUREM-TEMPERATURE, KOOC-COOK, FASE-SAFE, LENCA-CLEAN, BUMREHGAR-HAMBURGER

SECRET MESSAGE - USE A FOOD THERMOMETER

DOFO

PETERTAUREM

KOOC

FASE

LENCA

BUMREHGAR

5 7 8

9 13 12 17 1 19

6 14

2 4 18

3

10 15

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Check your steps at FoodSafety.gov
befoodsafe.gov

United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Kids, start at the 

star and connect 

the dots to reveal 

the hidden image.

Keeping cold foods cold is one of the most important rules you can follow 

to help Fight BAC!® To make sure you are keeping your food safe at all 

times, check out these other ways you can Fight BAC!®

n Chill leftovers and takeout foods within 

2 hours and keep the fridge at 40 oF or 

below. 

n Some foods that need to stay cold include:

n Sandwiches or salads made with 

meat, and poultry;

n Tuna and egg salad;

n Milk, cheese, and yogurt;

n Peeled or cut fruits and vegetables.

n Use an insulated lunch box or bag to 

keep food cold at school. 

n Keep your lunch in the coolest place 

possible. Never leave it in direct sun.

n Add a frozen gel pack, frozen juice box, 

or use a thermos to keep food cold.

Check your steps at FoodSafety.gov
befoodsafe.gov

BACTERIA 

BEEF 

CASSEROLE 

COLOR 

COOK 

FOOD 

HAMBURGER 

HARMFUL 

LEFTOVERS 

MEAT 

SOAP 

STUFFING 

TEMPERATURE 

THERMOMETER 

THERMY 

VIRUSES 

WASH

I

T

H

E

U

G

D

H

T

W

U

V

S

R

C

T

E

M

P

E

R

A

T

U

R

E

R

E

M

R

M

O

P

M

R

H

K

W

H

M

E

T

H

O

U

E

B

S

A

E

O

K

Q

D

V

E

A

L

D

A

A

I

Y

E

O

T

Y

Y

O

M

M

O

O

R

F

T

T

M

C

S

S

P

T

O

B

C

O

D

S

H

T

E

R

P

I

U

F

M

U

E

F

A

A

V

M

S

W

E

E

S

E

R

R

M

L

R

M

M

S

D

S

H

H

R

L

E

G

I

E

O

H

T

E

T

J

A

E

T

A

H

E

L

R

V

R

R

G

K

U

H

F

N

E

T

R

W

C

F

V

E

V

L

P

F

C

A

I

R

E

T

C

A

B

M

S

X

K

R

F

R

H

A

R

M

F

U

L

W

A

S

H

U

Y

I

Z

F

E

E

B

R

O

L

D

U

A

X

D

H

N

J

E

T

T

T

I

M

N

R

K

C

E

W

R

G

P

145 oF - Beef, pork, veal, and lamb 

 steaks, roasts, and chops, with a 

 3-minute “rest-time” after removal 

 from the heat source.

160 oF - Ground beef, pork, veal, 

 and lamb. Egg dishes.

165 oF - Chicken and turkey—whole 

pieces or ground. Stuffing

 casseroles. Reheat leftovers.

A food thermometer will help

you make sure your food has

reached a high enough

temperature to kill harmful

bacteria and viruses.

The only way to be sure cooked

food is safe to eat is by using a

food thermometer.

Hey Kids ...
befoodsafe.gov

United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

Remember: YOU have the power to

Fight BAC!®

and keep your food safe!

Kids, unscramble each 

of the four ways to 

keep food safe.

nalec

ckoo

liclh

apretase

Then match the unscrambled word 

to the correct food safety messenger.

Answers: nalec = clean, ckoo=cook, liclh=chill, apretase=separate

Check your steps at FoodSafety.gov
BAC-Catcher Game

Folding Instructions

1. Cut along the dotted line.

2. Place the BAC-Catcher face down. Fold 2 corners 

together to form a triangle. Crease and unfold. Now 

fold the other 2 corners together, crease and unfold.

3. Now, fold each corner to the center point.

4. Turn the folded paper over and fold each corner into 

the center.

5. Fold the square in half. Unfold it and fold it in half the 

other way.

6. Using both hands, place your thumbs and index 

fingers under the flaps.

How to play

cut along dotted lines

• This game is for 2 players. Ask the other player to pick 

one of the printed squares – for example, “Hot Stuff.”

• Open and close the BAC-Catcher in an alternating 

direction for each letter of the phrase H O T S T U F F 

(8 times).

• Ask the question closest to the phrase chosen and let 

the other player answer. Lift the flap to find the answer.

• Now give the BAC-Catcher to the other player. It’s your 

turn to answer.

• Alternate asking and answering until all the questions 

are answered . . . everyone wins by learning about 

FOOD SAFETY.
befoodsafe.gov

United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
befoodsafe.gov

Visit AskUSDA.gov or FoodSafety.gov

for food safety information.

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline:

1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)

FDA Food Information Line

1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366)

FSIS-FSF-5 The U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Check your steps at FoodSafety.gov