Category: Cooperative Extension
September is National Food Safety Education Month
September 03, 2025 Written by: Adrienne Shearer, PhD
UD’s Cooperative Extension Health and Well-being team brings you food safety information to help protect against foodborne illness all year long.
Foodborne illness
Foodborne illness occurs when food is contaminated with pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites) and/or toxins. Pathogens are shed in feces and vomitus and can spread to others if personal hygiene is inadequate (fecal-oral transmission).
Symptoms
Foodborne illness usually includes gastrointestinal distress (diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sometimes vomiting) and sometimes flu-like symptoms. Symptoms usually occur within 12 to 72 hours of exposure. Some foodborne pathogens or toxins can impact other body systems, have lifelong impacts, or even be fatal.
Foodborne Illness Impact
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates millions of people get sick each year from contaminated food.
Most Vulnerable
The very young, elderly, immune-compromised, and pregnant (and their fetuses) are more vulnerable to foodborne illness and are more likely to develop serious complications. Avoid higher-risk products such as unpasteurized or undercooked raw animal products and raw produce associated with illness outbreaks.
Factors in foodborne illness
The main factors that contribute to foodborne illness in the home include cross-contamination, poor personal hygiene, and time/temperature abuse of food. These can spread pathogens and allow for bacterial growth.
Personal Hygiene
Wash your hands before handling food and when switching from handling raw food to ready-to-eat food. Wash hands after restroom use, changing diapers, caring for animals, and any activity that soils the hands. Lather hands with soap and warm water, rinse, and towel dry. The process should take about 20 seconds. Good hand hygiene is essential to break the fecal-oral route of pathogen transmission.
Cross-contamination
Clean hands and surfaces that come in contact with food. Wash dishes and utensils that have been in contact with raw foods before using them for finished, ready-to-eat foods. https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/safe-food-handling
Raw vs. Ready-to-Eat
Raw products need preparation before consumption for safety. Examples include raw animal products (meat, milk, eggs) and uncooked flour. Use recommended cooking temperatures for safety.
Cooking
Do not rely on color as an indicator of adequate cooking of meat products. Verify doneness with a clean and calibrated thermometer. Certain toxins and highly heat-resistant bacterial spores are not inactivated by cooking, so all steps in safe food handling are important.
Thermometer Calibration
Submerge the thermometer probe in an ice water slurry; it should read 32°F (0°C). Adjust the thermometer to read the correct temperature according to manufacturer instructions.
Recommended cooking temperatures
165°F (74°C) – poultry, stuffed food products, leftovers
160°F (71°C) – ground beef
145°F (63°C) for 4 minutes – roasts
Follow the product package cooking instructions.
https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/safe-food-handling
Checking Temperature
Food temperatures should be checked in the part of the food slowest to heat (generally the thickest part or center). Insert the thermometer probe to the recommended depth (usually to a dimple in the probe), and make sure the thermometer probe does not touch the heating surface to avoid a falsely high reading.
Refrigerator Temperature
The recommended refrigerator temperature is 40°F (4°C). Door storage compartments will fluctuate the most in temperature and are best for less temperature-sensitive foods such as condiments and butter. Check product labels for storage requirements.
Refrigerator storage
Carefully contain raw products to catch drippage to prevent cross-contamination to ready-to-eat foods. Raw foods should be stored below ready-to-eat foods.
Freezer storage
Freezers should be kept at temperatures that keep food solid. Freezing does not kill pathogens; it preserves food by dramatically slowing the growth of bacteria.
Temperature Danger Zone
Minimize time that cold perishable foods spend in the temperature ‘danger zone’ (41 to 139°F or 5 to 60 °C) to avoid rapid bacterial growth and multiplication. This includes foods that have been cooked.
Cooling
Cool cooked foods in small portions for faster cooling to minimize time in the temperature danger zone to prevent bacterial growth and toxin production.
Length of Storage
Prepared foods can generally be refrigerated for 7 days. If food won’t be used in this time frame, consider freezing the food sooner if product quality allows. Follow product package instructions.
Purchasing Food
Purchase food from licensed providers. Check foods for package integrity. Packages should be clean, have intact seals and no signs of tampering, mishandling, or pest infiltration. Never use bulging canned goods, as this can indicate dangerous bacterial contamination. Food should be at the appropriate temperature when purchased.
Ice
Ice that is to be consumed should be treated with the same care as any other food ingredient. Do not consume ice that has previously been used to cool containers.
Thawing Food
Frozen foods can be safely defrosted in the refrigerator, in the microwave just before cooking, or during cooking. Assure food is cooked throughout as verified with a thermometer.
Special Considerations
Excess marinade and breading used for raw products should be treated as potentially containing the same hazards as the raw products they contacted.
Food Recalls
Food may be recalled for a variety of reasons, including pathogen contamination and mislabeling. Information about recalled food products can be found at the USDA (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls) and FDA websites (https://www.fda.gov/food/recalls-outbreaks-emergencies/recalls-foods-dietary-supplements). Do not use recalled products, and dispose of them as directed.
Handling Food when Sick
Avoid handling food for others when sick with contagious illnesses that include diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. If you must prepare food for others in the home, thoroughly wash hands and avoid bare hand contact with food.
Allergens
Food allergies can cause varied symptoms from mild rashes to difficulty breathing and can even be fatal. The majority of allergic reactions are associated with eggs, dairy, wheat, fish, shellfish, nuts, tree nuts, soy, and sesame. Protect people who have food allergies by checking package labels, asking about food allergens at restaurants, separating foods with allergens, and thoroughly cleaning all surfaces touched by an allergen. If bulk food is transferred to smaller containers, include the allergen information in the new container.
Date Labels
Food package labels list recommended dates for selling or using the product generally based on peak food quality and nutrients. Many products can be used after the ‘best by’ date provided they show no signs of product or package deterioration (ex: rust, dents, bulging). Infant formula expiration dates are based on nutrient content which is important for providing complete meal nutrition to infants.
Companion Animals – Raw Diets
Companion animals can get foodborne illness. Kibble and canned foods are heat-processed to inactivate microorganisms. Untreated raw meat can present a pathogen risk to dogs, cats, and the people who handle the food. For more information on recommended practices, visit https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/get-facts-raw-pet-food-diets-can-be-dangerous-you-and-your-pet.
Companion Animals – Foods to Avoid
Chocolate, grapes, raisins, currants, onion, garlic, chives, macadamia nuts, and foods that contain xylitol (a sugar substitute) are dangerous for dogs. Cats should not consume onions, garlic, or chives. Do not feed pets fatty, salty or moldy food. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/good-dog-bad-food-foods-people-are-bad-your-dog
Power Outages and Emergencies
These disruptions can compromise food safety through loss of temperature control and damage to food packages. For more information on handling food before and after disruptions, please visit: https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods.
Additional Resources
FDA https://www.fda.gov/food/resources-you-food/consumers
USDA https://www.usda.gov/ (Food tab)
CDC https://www.cdc.gov/ (Food topics)