Childhood Obesity Project

Food Safety

To help keep your food safe from harmful bacteria, follow these four food safety steps—Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
  • Clean: Wash hands, utensils, and countertops often.Separate: Avoid cross-contamination. Do not let raw meat, poultry, or their juices touch other foods that will not be cooked.

  • Cook: Cook food to a safe internal temperature. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature. Steaks and roasts to 145°F; hamburgers to 160°F; chicken and turkey breasts to 170°F; whole chicken and turkey to 180°F.

  • Chill: Refrigerate or freeze perishable food within 2 hours, or within 1 hour in temperatures about 90°F.

For more information on food safety, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) TTY/1-800-256-7072
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Or “Ask Karen,” FSIS’ Web-based automated response system—available 24/7 at www.fsis.usda.gov.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. FSIS ensures that America’s consumers have safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged meat, poultry, and egg products. However, sometimes problems may occur when you prepare and handle these foods in your home.

Reprinted with permission from the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service.