S.T.O.P is often asked how families can reduce their risks of foodborne disease. We believe strongly that the burden of improving food safety belongs squarely on the shoulders of industry and government. Therefore, some of the most important things you can do are to be aware of food safety issues, to be a member of a food safety organization, and to demand that government and industry improve food safeguards. In addition, S.T.O.P. recommends the following tips when buying, storing and serving food:

Shopping

1. Take time to inspect your supermarket. Ask what precautions they are taking to ensure food safety.
2. Check expiration, "sell by" or "use by" dates of animal products. If the product feels slimy, has a foul odor, or appears discolored, don't buy it.
3. Select fruits and vegetables that are free of mold and decay (avoid brown spots, soft areas, and discoloration).
4. Wrap fruits and vegetables in plastic; do not place uncovered raw items directly on checkout conveyor belt.
5. Make sure eggs are free of cracks.
6. Select canned foods free of dents and cracks (bulging lids may indicate a food poisoning threat).
7. Make sure that different meat products are not touching one another in their "fresh" case, and that cooked and raw products are displayed separately.
8. Avoid cross-contamination between different foods in your shopping cart; don't allow raw meat, poultry, or seafood juice to drip onto other groceries. Ask the store to wrap these items in plastic before placing them in your cart.
9. Use a plastic bag as a "glove" to pick up leaky meat packages and then turn it inside out to double-wrap your purchase.
10. Buy perishables last, keep them in the coolest part of your car or in a cooler, and drive directly home and refrigerate them immediately.

Storing and Serving

1. Wash lids of food cans and necks of water
   cooler bottles before opening them.
2. Do not reuse dishes and utensils during food preparation unless you have washed them thoroughly or sterilized them. For instance, don't place cooked hamburgers on a plate that held raw ones, don't use the same tongs on raw meat as those that are used on cooked meat.
3. Don't put ready-to-eat food on a surface that previously held raw meat or poultry.
4. If the contents of canned food forcefully spray when the can is opened, or looks frothy or bubbly, return the can to the store or throw it away.
5. Do not leave perishables out of the refrigerator or freezer. Immediately date and refrigerate leftovers.
6. Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees F or
   below and your freezer at 0 degrees F or
   below. (Use a thermometer to check the temperature).
7. Freeze meat and poultry if not using it within 2-3 days; freeze seafood if not using it within 1 day.
8. PLEASE NOTE - freezing does not kill bacteria or viruses, it merely slows their growth.
9. Within 2 hours of removing from heat source, store leftovers in shallow dishes that cool quickly, in the refrigerator or freezer, so that bacteria will not have time to grow in the warm middle of the dishes.
10. Overwrap packages of raw meat, poultry or fish, or place them on a dish before refrigerating so that their juices won't drip and cross-contaminate other foods.

There are also steps you can take when cooking and handling food to minimize your risks from foodborne disease. For more helpful information, see S.T.O.P.'s website at www.safetables.org.

Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.) is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit working to reduce suffering, illness and death due to food contaminated by pathogens. This fact sheet is produced for redistribution in its entirety.