After handling raw meat and before handling produce, what should food handlers do with their gloves?

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Clean: Wash Hands, Utensils, and Surfaces Often
Wash your hands the right way:
Wash surfaces and utensils after each use:
Wash fruits and vegetables, but not meat, poultry, or eggs:
Separate: Don’t Cross Contaminate
Use separate cutting boards and plates for produce, meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs:
Keep certain types of food separate:
Cook to the Right Temperature
Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick:
Keep food hot (140˚F or above) after cooking:
Microwave food thoroughly (165˚F or above):
Follow special guidelines for barbeques and smokers:
Chill: Refrigerate and Freeze Food Properly
Refrigerate perishable foods within 2 hours:
Safe food storage and display
Cross-contamination
Temperature danger zone
Cold food storage
Hot food preparation and display
Cooling food
Thawing frozen food
Food serving and labelling

Did you know that an estimated 1 in 6 Americans will get sick from food poisoning this year alone? Food poisoning not only sends 128,000 Americans to the hospital each year—it can also cause long-term health problems. You can help keep your family safe from food poisoning at home by following these four simple steps: clean, separate, cook and, chill.

Clean: Wash Hands, Utensils, and Surfaces Often

Germs that can make you sick can survive in many places around your kitchen, including your food, hands, utensils, cutting boards, and countertops.

Wash your hands the right way:

Use plain soap and water—skip the antibacterial soap—and scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse hands, then dry with a clean towel.
Wash your hands often, especially during these key times when germs can spread:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- After handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, or their juices, or uncooked eggs
- Before eating
- After using the toilet
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
- After touching garbage
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After handling pet food or pet treats.

Wash surfaces and utensils after each use:

Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy water, especially after they’ve held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.
Wash dish cloths often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.

Wash fruits and vegetables, but not meat, poultry, or eggs:

Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water without soap, bleach, or commercial produce washes.
Rinse fruits and vegetables before peeling, removing skin, or cutting away any damaged or bruised areas.
Scrub firm produce like melons or cucumbers with a clean produce brush.
Dry produce with a paper towel or clean cloth towel.
Don’t wash meat, poultry, eggs, or seafood to avoid spreading harmful germs around your kitchen.
Produce labeled as “pre-washed” does not need to be washed again.

Additional Information:

Food Safety Quick Tips: Clean (FDA)

Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness (USDA)

Separate: Don’t Cross Contaminate

Use separate cutting boards and plates for produce, meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs:

Use one cutting board for fresh produce or other foods that won’t be cooked before they’re eaten, and another for raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Replace them when they are worn.
Use separate plates and utensils for cooked and raw foods.
Use hot, soapy water to thoroughly wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards that touched raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or flour.

Keep certain types of food separate:

In your shopping cart, separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from other foods and place packages of raw meat, poultry, and seafood in plastic bags if available. When you check out, place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in separate bags from other foods.
At home, place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in containers or sealed, leakproof plastic bags. Freeze them if you’re not planning to use them within a few days.
In the fridge, keep eggs in their original carton and store them in the main compartment—not in the door.

Additional Information:

Food Safety Quick Tips: Separate (FDA)

Cook to the Right Temperature

Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature is high enough to kill germs that can make you sick:

Use a food thermometer to be sure your food is safe. When you think your food is done, place the food thermometer in the thickest part of the food, making sure not to touch bone, fat, or gristle.
Refer to our Minimum Cooking Temperatures Chart to be sure your foods have reached a safe temperature.

Keep food hot (140˚F or above) after cooking:

If you’re not serving food right after cooking, keep it out of the temperature danger zone (between 40°F -140°F) where germs grow rapidly by using a heat source like a chafing dish, warming tray, or slow cooker.

Microwave food thoroughly (165˚F or above):

Read package directions for cooking and follow them exactly to make sure food is thoroughly cooked.
If the food label says, “Let stand for x minutes after cooking,” follow the directions — letting microwaved food sit for a few minutes allows food to cook thoroughly as colder areas absorb heat from hotter areas.
Stir food in the middle of heating. Follow package directions for commercially prepared frozen food; some are not designed to be stirred while heating.

Follow special guidelines for barbeques and smokers:

Additional Information:

Food Safety Quick Tips: Cook (FDA)

Grilling and Food Safety (USDA)

Kitchen Thermometers (USDA)

Chill: Refrigerate and Freeze Food Properly

Refrigerate perishable foods within 2 hours:

Bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply quickest between 40°F and 140°F.
Your refrigerator should be set to 40°F or below and your freezer to 0°F or below. Use an appliance thermometer to be sure.
Never leave perishable foods out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours. If the food is exposed to temperatures above 90°F (like a hot car or summer picnic), refrigerate it within 1 hour.
Leftovers should be placed in shallow containers and refrigerated promptly to allow quick cooling.
Never thaw or marinate foods on the counter. The safest way to thaw or marinate meat, poultry, and seafood is in the refrigerator.
Freezing does not destroy harmful germs, but it does keep food safe until you can cook it.
Know when to throw out food by checking our Safe Storage Times chart. Be sure you throw food out before harmful bacteria grow.

Additional Information:

Food Safety Quick Tips: Chill (FDA)

Refrigeration and Food Safety (USDA)

Leftovers and Food Safety (USDA)

@1After handling raw meat and before handling produce, what should food handlers do with their gloves?A Clean and sanitize them.B Continue working with them.C Set them aside if working with meat again later.D Wash hands and change them.

To safely prepare food, you should follow these tips:

keep raw foods and ready-to-eat foods separate to avoid cross-contamination
use separate, clean utensils and cutting boards for raw foods and ready-to-eat foods, or wash and sanitise utensils and cutting boards between uses
thoroughly clean, sanitise and dry cutting boards, knives, pans, plates, containers and other utensils after using them
thoroughly rinse all fruit and vegetables in clean water to remove soil, bacteria, insects and chemicals
make sure food is thoroughly cooked and the centre of the cooked food has reached 75 °C
avoid leaving recently cooked food out to cool for more than 1 hour; as soon as food has cooled, place it in the refrigerator
know about and avoid the temperature danger zone - Bacteria grow quickly in high-risk foods that are kept at temperatures between 5 °C and 60 °C.
thaw frozen food on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to keep it out of the temperature danger zone
take extra care when preparing foods that contain raw eggs – such as egg nog, homemade mayonnaise and aioli – because bacteria on the egg shells can contaminate the food
be trained in safe food handling and preparation.

Safe food storage and display

To safely store and display food, you should follow these tips:

keep raw foods and ready-to-eat foods separate, to avoid cross-contamination
store food in clean, food-grade storage containers
don’t store food in opened cans
make sure food storage containers have not been used to store things other than food, and wash and sanitise them before use
don’t reuse containers that are only meant to be used once
if a reusable container is in poor condition, throw it out
cover food with tight-fitting lids, foil or plastic film, to protect the food from dust, insects and cross-contamination
wash and rinse any garnishes used on food
store food in areas specially designed for food storage, such as refrigerators, coolrooms, pantries and food storerooms
never store food on the floor or on pallets, or in areas containing chemicals, cleaning equipment, clothing or personal belongings
remove and avoid using foods that are past their use-by dates, spoilt, or are in damaged containers or packaging
know about and avoid the temperature danger zone - Bacteria grow quickly in high-risk foods that are kept at temperatures between 5 °C and 60 °C.
be trained in safe food handling and preparation.

Cross-contamination

Raw food must be kept separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food. Raw food may contain bacteria, which causes food poisoning.

Cross-contamination happens when cooked or ready-to-eat food contacts raw food. Raw food should always be stored below ready-to-eat or cooked food in refrigerators and display cabinets. This way, juices from the raw food cannot drip onto cooked food.

Cross-contamination can also happen if you use dirty knives, chopping boards or other equipment. If possible, don’t use the same equipment when preparing raw food, and cooked and ready-to-eat food. Thoroughly clean and sanitise equipment after each use.

Bacteria can be transferred to food from your hands. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands before handling food, and between handling raw food and cooked or ready-to-eat food. Also use clean, sanitised utensils (tongs, spoons, spatulas) to handle cooked or ready-to-eat food.

Gloves

Disposable gloves can help prevent cross-contamination. The same precautions should be taken when handling raw food, and cooked or ready-to-eat foods. Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before putting on gloves, and always use fresh gloves.

Change your gloves:

at least once every hour
if they become contaminated
if they tear
when switching between handling raw and ready-to-eat foods
when changing tasks
after taking the rubbish out
after sweeping, mopping and cleaning.

Temperature danger zone

The temperature danger zone is between 5 °C and 60 °C. Bacteria grow quickly in high-risk foods that are kept in this temperature range.

Cold food storage

You need to keep cold foods at 5 °C or colder, and keep frozen foods frozen solid during storage at –15 °C or colder. Cool rooms, refrigerators and freezers must have proper thermometers, and temperatures should be checked regularly.

Hot food preparation and display

Hot food must be kept at 60 °C or hotter. Bains-marie and other hot food holders are designed to keep food at this temperature.

Do not use bains-marie and similar equipment to heat food. If this equipment is used for heating food, the food will spend too long in the temperature danger zone.

Before placing food in the bain-marie, make sure the food is thoroughly cooked. Ensure that the centre of the cooked food has reached 75 °C. Most bacteria are killed when food is cooked properly.

Some tips for safely using bains-marie include:

preheat bains-marie before use and operate them on the highest temperature setting
make sure the temperature of the food does not fall below 60 °C
use a clean thermometer to check the temperature of the food
do not overfill bain-marie trays, because the temperature of the food could fall below 60 °C.

Cooling food

Food that has been cooked should not be left out to cool for more than 1 hour. As soon as food has cooled, place it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Note that large portions of food cool faster if divided into smaller portions.

Thawing frozen food

Be sure to keep frozen food frozen solid while it is in the freezer.

Thaw food thoroughly before cooking. Bacteria can grow in frozen food while it is thawing, so keep frozen food out of the temperature danger zone. To do this, thaw frozen food on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (so the juices do not drip onto other foods) and keep it in the fridge until it is ready to be cooked.

If using a microwave oven to thaw food, cook it immediately after defrosting.

If you have to cook food that is still frozen, make sure that the food is cooked right through, and that its core temperature reaches 75 °C.

Do not refreeze food that has been frozen and thawed already. Freezing does not kill bacteria, and live bacteria are still in food when it is thawed again.

Food serving and labelling

Store food in clean, food-grade storage containers that are strong enough for the food they contain. If containers are reusable, wash and sanitise them before using them. Do not reuse containers that are only meant to be used once.

Food labels or tags can carry bacteria. For cooked and ready-to-eat food, use tags or labels on the trays or containers, and not on the food itself. Be sure not to pierce cooked or ready-to-eat food with tags or labels.

When serving food, make sure that all cutlery and crockery is clean and undamaged.