Primary Navigation for the CDC Website
CDC en Espaņol


Family Health

Five Minutes or Less for Health Weekly Tip: Keep Foods Safe

Keep foods safeTo help protect yourself and others from foodborne illness, take a few minutes to ensure foods are safe.

  • Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature, so refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be eaten within 4 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.
  • Wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food.
  • Wash produce before you eat it.
  • Take a few extra minutes to make sure meat, poultry, and eggs are cooked thoroughly.
  • Report suspected foodborne illnesses to your local health department.
  • Check foodsafety.gov , your gateway to federal food safety information.

Learn More

Be Food Safe

Food Safety

Healthy Youth in Schools: Food Allergies

Healthy Youth in Schools: Food Safety

Fight Bac (PFSE)

PDF symbol This site contains documents in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access the file. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader, you may download a free copy from the Adobe Web site.

Content Source: CDC Office of Women’s Health
Page last modified: October 28, 2011
Page last reviewed: October 28, 2011