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Handle food safely

Practical steps from the FDA food-handling guide.

In practice

Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. [1]

Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from other foods during shopping and storage. [1]

Color and texture cannot reliably tell you whether food is safe. [1]

Keep the refrigerator at 40° F or below and the freezer at 0° F or below; check with an appliance thermometer. [1]

Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on a kitchen counter. [1]

Spanish translations are written for this site unless an official Spanish source is cited. UK recommendations retain their original context.