Safe Food Handling

Safe food handling

This handout is designed for patients with low immunity to help reduce their risk of foodborne illness. A drop in white blood cell or neutrophil counts will reduce your ability to fight infections. To avoid contracting a foodborne illness, you must be especially vigilant when handling, preparing and consuming food.

First

• Wash hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, or handling pets.
• Counters and kitchen surfaces should be cleaned with soap and hot water before and after use.

Food that should be avoided completely:

• Raw or undercooked meat, chicken or fish/shellfish
• Unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses
• Raw or undercooked eggs
• Luncheon and deli meat that have not been reheated (smoked meats and salmon, Mortadella & turkey)
• Raw sprouts (alfalfa, bean, or any other sprout)
• Unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce/salads
• Honey

Grocery shopping:

Buy food from the grocery store in the following sequence:

1. Canned and dried food (for example rice or bread).
2. Fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Refrigerated food (like egg and cheese)
4. Frozen food.

• Check the expiry date and do not buy items that are out of date.
• Do not buy bulged, damaged or dented cans.
• Make sure frozen foods feel solid, and refrigerated foods are cold.
• Avoid yogurt and ice cream products dispensed from soft-serve machines or that are not packaged.
• Avoid buying cracked or unrefrigerated eggs.
• Store groceries immediately after shopping.

Grocery shopping (Continued)

• Refrigerate within 1 hour if the temperature outside is above 32°C.
• Never leave perishable foods in the car. Plan to go directly home after grocery shopping.
• Avoid buying unpasteurized items in the case of milk, honey, fruit juice,
• Buy only pasteurized milk, cheese, and other dairy products from the refrigerated section.
• When buying fruit juice from the refrigerated section of the store, be sure that the juice label says it is pasteurized.
• Put raw packaged meat, poultry, or seafood into a plastic bag before placing it in the shopping cart, so that its juices will not drip on—and contaminate—other foods.

Food storage:

Store food in the following order after you come back from your grocery shopping:

1. Frozen foods
2. Refrigerated food
3. Fruits and vegetables
4. Canned and non-perishable food (for example rice and bread)

• Keep the refrigerator temperature at 4˚C or lower.
• Both raw and cooked foods should be covered and should be separated from each other. Raw food items should be stored at the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
• Freezers must be maintained at a temperature below -18˚C.
• Do not store eggs in the refrigerator’s door. Store them inside the refrigerator in a closed container.
• Discard cracked eggs, food containers and packages showing signs of mold and those with expired date.
• Leftovers should be discarded after 2 days of being stored in the refrigerator.

Food preparation

• Foods should be prepared on sanitized surfaces which have been washed with soap and hot water.
• Separate cutting boards should be used for cooked and raw foods.
• Wash tops of cans and can opener before use.
• Wash, rinse, and sanitize fruits and vegetables before eating them. Rub firm-skin fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins that are not eaten.
• Thaw meats and fish in the microwave or in the refrigerator overnight. Never thaw food at room temperature and on the counter tops.
• Do not eat perishable foods (liked cooked meals and dairy products) that have been left out the refrigerator for more than 2 hours.
• Do not eat foods that have been sitting in the refrigerator for more than 2 days. Put a date on the prepared foods and perishable items.
• Do not consume cold cuts and luncheon meats that have not been cooked.

Recommended minimum cooking temperatures for meat and poultry:

Dining out

Dining out is possible only if certain precautions are taken:

• Eat early to avoid the crowd.
• Consume only cooked food
• Avoid consumption of raw fruits, fresh juices and raw vegetables.
• Request single-serving condiment packages. Avoid public self-serve condiment containers.
• Avoid high risk food sources like salad bars or buffets because of the potential improper food handling or holding temperatures.
• Do not eat salsa or other condiments that are unrefrigerated and eaten by multiple people at the restaurant.

Food selection

The following table reproduces the food categories, allowed foods, and foods to avoid from the document.