| Hannaford’s quality guarantee
ensures that from the loading dock to the check out counter,
our associates have handled the food you purchase with the utmost
care. We’ve compiled a list of tips to for the safe storage
and preparation of foods at home. |
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1. Scrub A Dub
Wash your hands often. Wash with warm, soapy water before preparing
any food and after handling raw meats, poultry or fish. Good
hand washing could eliminate nearly half of all cases of foodborne
illness. |
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2. Keep Your Kitchen Clean
To prevent the growth of bacteria, it’s important to keep all
kitchen surfaces clean including your appliances, countertops,
cutting boards and cooking utensils. Wash kitchen surfaces with
hot, soapy water and a commercial sanitizing agent. |
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3. Keep Foods Out of the Danger
Zone
Germs which cause foodborne illness grow rapidly between the
temperatures of 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep
cooked and ready-to-eat foods cold below 40 degrees. Cook all
foods well. Check your refrigerator temperature regularly with
an appliance thermometer. |
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4. Keep Cold Foods Cold
Foods should be kept at 40 degrees or below to prevent the growth
of harmful bacteria. Use an appliance thermometer to check the
temperature of your refrigerator at home. Place raw meat, poultry
and seafood in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Check
refrigerator temperature regularly to ensure food safety and
quality. |
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5. Keep Hot foods Hot
Foods which are being served hot should be held above 140 degrees
farenheit to prevent the growth of bacteria. Reheated foods
should be brought to a temperature of at least 165 degrees.
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6. Don’t Cross-Contaminate
Use separate cloths, sponges and towels for washing dishes,
wiping counters and tables and wiping hands. Clean dishes should
be air-dried. These practices will prevent cross-contamination
with harmful bacteria. |
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7. Segregate Stored Foods
Keep raw meats and juices away from foods that are ready-to-eat
to prevent cross-contamination. Store raw meats and poultry
at the bottom of the refrigerator so that they don’t drip on
other foods. |
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8. Code Your Cutting Boards
Use two cutting boards in your kitchen; one to cut raw meats,
poultry and seafood and the other for ready-to-eat foods like
breads, fruits and vegetables. This will prevent cross-contamination
of harmful bacteria from raw foods to those that are ready-to-eat.
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9. Wash Your Produce
Remove soil and residue from fresh fruits and vegetables by
washing them thoroughly under cold running water prior to serving.
Trim any bruised areas before eating. This will reduce the risk
of consuming harmful bacteria which may be present naturally
in the environment. |
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10. Cook Your Foods Well
Use a meat thermometer to determine proper doneness of cooked
meats and poultry. Cook whole poultry to 180 degrees farenheit,
ground turkey and chicken to 165 degrees, ground beef, lamb,
veal or pork to 160 degrees and eggs or egg dishes to 160 degrees.
Meat roasts and steaks to 145 degrees farenheit. Fish should
be cooked until it flakes easily. |
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11. Serve Food Safely
Foods should not be left at room temperature (the DANGER ZONE)
for more than two hours at a time to prevent the growth of harmful
bacteria. Cover and chill foods quickly in shallow dishes after
serving. |
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12. Defrost Your Foods Safely
Foods can be safely defrosted in the refrigerator, under cold
running water, or in the microwave oven. Never at room temperature.
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13. Marinate Foods Safely
Foods can be safely marinated in a covered glass or metal bowl
in the refrigerator - not on the counter. |
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14. Choose Canned Goods with
Safety In Mind.
Purchase canned goods with the packaging intact; cans should
not be bulging, leaking or dented on the seal or rim. |
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15. Store Food Safely
Store opened food in foil, plastic wrap, leak proof plastic
bags or airtight containers to keep food safe and high in quality.
Label and date foods using a first in, first out process. |
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16. Read the Label
Read the product label carefully for food handling instructions
including storage and code dates. Never store any foods labeled
"Keep refrigerated" in the pantry. Look for "best if used by"
or "use by" dates for optimum quality and safety. |
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17. When in Doubt, Throw it
Out
Label and date foods stored in your refrigerator and freezer.
Leftovers that are not used within 3-4 days should be discarded.
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18. Pantry Safety Tip
Shelf-stable pantry items should be stored in a clean, dry,
cool area (below 85 degrees) away from the stove or the refrigerator’s
exhaust for best quality and safety. Check your pantry regularly
for pests. |
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19. Double Up on Cooking Utensils
Use separate cooking utensils and platters when putting raw
meats on the grill and taking cooked meats off the grill to
prevent cross-contamination with harmful bacteria. |
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20. Chill Foods Well
Chill hot foods safely by using shallow dishes (no deeper than
2 inches) that will cool food quickly to prevent the growth
of bacteria. Keep foods out of the temperature danger zone (40
degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit). |
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21. Store Cleaning Supplies
Safely
Store chemicals in their original containers and out of the
reach of small children. Keep cleaning supplies in a dry, locked
cabinet or in areas away from food products or other chemicals
with which they may react. |
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22. Sanitize Your Kitchen
Sponges
Heat a wet kitchen sponge in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave
oven for approximately 2 minutes so that it achieves an internal
temperature of 160 degrees to kill harmful bacteria. |
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23. Be Careful Mixing
Never mix fresh prepared foods with leftovers or raw foods with
those that have been already cooked. This increases the chance
for contamination of harmful bacteria. |
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24. Use Pasteurized Eggs
When preparing recipes that include raw eggs which will not
be cooked or will not be cooked to at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit
use pasteurized eggs. Always discourage tasting of batter or
dough that contains raw eggs. |
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25. Taste Safely
When tasting food, ladle a small amount of it into a dish and
taste it with a clean spoon. Do not use the same ladle or spoon
to taste and prepare your food. This may introduce harmful germs
into your finished product. |
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26. Turkey Safety Tips.
When thawing your turkey in the refrigerator, allow 24 hours
for every 5 pounds the bird weighs. Cook the turkey in an oven
set no lower than 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Check internal cooking
temperatures to assure proper doneness, stuffing inside the
cavity should reach 165 degrees and the bird is done when the
innermost thigh reaches 180 degrees. Juice should run clear.
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