Chicken, Meats, Eggs, Fruits & Vegetables

1. General Food Safety Rules 
2. Chicken Safety 
3. Meat Safety 
4. Egg Safety 
5. Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

General Food Safety Rules

• Place poultry and meats in your shopping trolley last to prevent them from warming up as you shop. 
• Separate packages of raw poultry and meats from other foods in your trolley to prevent contamination from any leaking juices.
• Return home promptly after grocery shopping and refrigerate or freeze immediately. 
• Store meats in the coldest part of the refrigerator - on an inside shelf rather than in the door. This applies to eggs, too. Store them in their carton on a shelf rather than in the built-in egg cups inside many refrigerator doors. 
• Wash hands, cutting boards, knives and any other utensils immediately in hot soapy water after contact with raw poultry, meats and eggs. 
• After wiping up raw poultry or meat juices and eggs from the countertop with a sponge, sanitize the sponge by soaking it in a dilute bleach/water solution before wiping any other surfaces with it. Disinfect the countertop with the same solution.

Chicken Safety

• Use fresh poultry within 1 to 2 days of purchasing. 
• When purchasing fully-cooked rotisserie or fast-food chicken, make sure it's piping hot (>70°C), not warm. Use within 2 hours or cut into several pieces and refrigerate. Eat within 3 to 4 days. 
• Thaw frozen poultry on a bottom shelf in the refrigerator, not on the countertop. Boneless chicken breasts will usually thaw overnight. Bone-in parts and whole chickens may take 24 hours. For whole turkeys, allow 1 day for every 2.5 kg.
• It's safest to cook stuffing separately from the chicken or turkey. If stuffing a whole bird, stuff it immediately before putting it in the oven. Never stuff a bird the night before cooking. 
• Cook whole birds until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 82°C. Another test for correct cooking is to insert a long-tined fork into the thickest part of the thigh. The meat should be tender and the juices should run clear, not pink. 
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours. 
• Poultry may be marinated in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After marinating, be sure to discard the marinade.
  

Meat Safety

• Use fresh, whole pieces of meat within 3 to 5 days of purchasing. Ground and organ meats should be used within 1 to 2 days. 
• When purchasing fully-cooked take-away meat dishes, such as ribs or fast-food hamburgers, make sure they are piping hot (>70°C), not warm. Use within 2 hours or refrigerate in shallow containers. Eat within 3 to 4 days. 
• Thaw frozen meats on a bottom shelf in the refrigerator, not on the countertop. Ground or cubed meats will usually thaw in one day. Bone-in parts and whole roasts may take 2 days or longer.
  • Cook all ground meats until there is no longer any pink colour or to a temperature of 70°C. 
• Cook whole steaks, roasts and chops as follows:
  • Beef, Veal & Lamb:
    Depending on the cut, cook to an internal temperature range of 71°C (medium) to 76°C (well-done).
  • Pork
    Cook to an internal temperature of 76°C. 
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours. 
• Meat may be marinated in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. After marinating, be sure to discard the marinade.

Egg Safety

• Only buy eggs with clean, un-cracked shells. Discard any that may crack on the way home. 
• Do not leave raw or cooked eggs at room temperature for more than 2 hours. 
• When separating the yolks from the whites, use an egg separator. Passing the egg back and forth between the shells halves may expose the egg to bacteria on the shell. 
• Use a clean utensil to remove any bits of shell that fall into the eggs when cracking them open. 
• When adding eggs to a mixture, break them 1 at a time into a small cup or bowl first. If you detect an impurity, the egg can be discarded before it's added. 
• Cook basic egg dishes until the whites are set and the yolks thicken. 
• Cook scrambled eggs, omelettes and frittatas until no visible liquid egg remains. 
• Cook other egg dishes, such as quiches and casseroles, until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean (71°C). 
• Never prepare recipes where the eggs are not thoroughly cooked, such as homemade eggnog and ice cream, Caesar salad and Hollandaise sauce. Instead, use a pasteurised egg product.

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

• Select fresh-looking fruits and vegetables that are not bruised, shrivelled, mouldy or slimy. Be sure to inspect packaged produce carefully for signs of mould or slime. 
• Buy only the amount you need. Most fresh produce is not "stock-up" food and should be used within a few days. 
• Place fresh produce on the top of the groceries in your trolley to prevent bruising. 
• Thoroughly wash all fruits and vegetables in clean drinking water just before eating or cutting. This applies to all fresh produce, even if the rind or skin will not be eaten, as with melons or oranges. This prevents any bacteria on the surface from transferring to the inside flesh when cut. 
• Scrub hearty vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots, with a stiff brush under running water if you want to eat the skin. 
• Keep all cut fruit and vegetables covered in the refrigerator. 
• Discard any fresh produce that has been stored too long and has developed mould, slime or an off odour.