Tip: Highlight text to annotate itX
Everyone loves a barbecue
in the summer
unfortunately,
so do bacteria that can
make people sick.
With the free and easy feel of
outdoor barbecuing
it s easy to forget that
the rules of safe food handling
we use indoors
still apply outdoors.
In fact,
cases of food bourne illness
increase significantly
during the summer months
and outdoor barbecuing is suspected
of being a major cause of the problem.
To prevent illness,
Toronto Public Health recommends you
to follow the 4-Step Food Safety Guide.
Before handling food,
thoroughly wash hands with soap
and warm water.
Also wash and sanitize utensils,
plates and cutting boards
that come in contact with uncooked food
to remove harmful bacteria;
Raw food and their juices
can contain harmful bacteria
and can transfer to cooked food,
so avoid cross contamination.
Store raw and cooked food
in separate containers
and bring extra clean utensils
to handle raw and cooked food separately;
Heat kills harmful bacteria
such as Salmonella and E.coli
so raw meat must be cooked thoroughly
to a safe internal temperature.
For ground beef burger,
be sure to cook to an internal temperature
of at least 71 C
and till the juice runs clear.
For chicken, cook to at least 74 C.
Harmful bacteria love the danger zone
between 4 C and 60 C.
Always keep food cold at 4 C
until cooking
and the same for storing leftovers.
Keep hot food hot to at least 60 C
after cooking
and never keep food in the danger zone
for too long.
Food can spoil easily
and bacteria can grow fast
in the danger zone
and can increase the risk of
food bourne illness
To learn more about BBQ food safety,
Toronto Public invites you to
take a look at
the four step food prep guide!
