Safety Tips for Handling and Preparing Common Foods

Help Prevent Food Poisoning!

Safety tips for handling and preparing common foods
Type of Food	Avoid	Better Choice
Meat & Poultry	Raw or undercooked meat or poultry	Meat or poultry cooked to a safe internal temperatureexternal icon. Use a food thermometer to check.
Seafood	Raw or undercooked fish, shellfish, or food containing raw or undercooked seafood, such as sashimi, some sushi, and ceviche.	Leftover seafood heated to 165°F Canned fish and seafood Refrigerated smoked seafood in a cooked dish, such as a casserole
Dairy	Unpasteurized (raw) milk	Pasteurized milk
Eggs	Foods that contain raw or undercooked eggs, such as: Homemade Caesar salad dressing Raw cookie dough Eggnog	Use pasteurized eggs and egg products when preparing recipes that call for raw or undercooked eggs.
Sprouts	Raw or undercooked sprouts, such as alfalfa, bean, or any other sprout	Cooked sprouts No sprouts
Vegetables	Unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce and salads	Washed fresh vegetables, including salads Cooked vegetables
Cheese	Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized (raw) milk, such as queso fresco, blue-veined, feta, Brie, and Camembert	Soft cheeses that are clearly labeled “made from pasteurized milk” Processed cheeses, cream cheese, mozzarella, hard cheeses

Page last reviewed: October 22, 2018