September is National Food Safety Education Month: Small Steps Can Have a Big Impact in the Kitchen
September is National Food Safety Education Month, and in light of recent food recalls, it is the perfect time to take a fresh look at something we all do every day: preparing, eating, and sharing food.
Food safety may not always be the most exciting topic you actively seek out information on, but it DOES play a major role in protecting our health. From the garden to the grocery store, and the refrigerator to your dinner table, simple choices can help prevent foodborne illness. The good news? Food safety doesn't have to be complicated and is something we can all actively participate in.
Food Safety Is for Everyone
Foodborne illness can affect anyone, but some people are at greater risk for serious complications, including young children, older adults, pregnant people, and individuals with weakened immune systems. Each year, 1 in 6 Americans will get sick from foodborne illness – that’s about 48 million cases each year. In 2023, foodborne illness in the United States cost an estimated $74.7 billion!
That makes food safety more than just a personal responsibility. It is a way of protecting the people we care about.
Whether you're preparing lunch for your children, cooking dinner for your family, bringing a dish to a gathering, or preparing food for a community event, your food safety habits can make a difference in keeping everyone safe.
Could Your Kitchen Pass a Food Safety Check?
Think about what happened in your kitchen the last time you prepared a meal. You (hopefully) washed your hands, grabbed a cutting board and your favorite knife, cut up some raw chicken, and chopped some vegetables to make a stir fry. Maybe you reached for your phone to check the recipe or respond to that text that came through. You enjoyed your meal and put leftovers in the refrigerator.
Did you rinse your produce before cutting? How about washing your hands and the cutting board after handling the chicken? Did you check the temperature of the chicken before serving, or simply assume it was done because it looked cooked?
The Four Simple Steps: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and other food safety organizations promote four basic steps for preventing foodborne illness: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
Clean: Wash your hands with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food. Don't forget about kitchen surfaces, sinks, utensils, and frequently touched items such as refrigerator handles and faucet knobs.
Separate: Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from foods that will be eaten without cooking (known as ready-to-eat foods). Use separate cutting boards when possible or thoroughly wash and sanitize surfaces between uses. Cross-contamination can happen very easily if you aren’t careful!
Cook: Don't rely on appearance alone to determine whether food is safely cooked. A digital food thermometer is one of the most useful (and inexpensive) tools in your kitchen. Different foods require different minimum internal temperatures, and remember to check the temperature in the thickest part of the food!
Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods promptly. Don’t get distracted after a meal and forget to put the food away! The "two-hour rule" is an important food safety measure to remember: perishable foods should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours, or for one hour when temperatures are above 90°F (such as outside at a picnic).
Your Senses Aren't a Food Safety Test
One of the biggest food safety myths is that we can tell whether food is safe by looking at it, smelling it, or taking a tiny taste. Unfortunately, that's not always true.
Some harmful bacteria can grow in food without changing its smell, appearance, or taste. That means food can look and smell perfectly normal and still make someone sick. When in doubt, throw it out!
Don't Forget About the Refrigerator
Your refrigerator is one of your most important food safety tools—but only if it's cold enough.
Keep your refrigerator at 40°F or below and your freezer at 0°F. A refrigerator thermometer can help you know whether your appliance is maintaining a safe temperature. Putting an extra thermometer – one that is not built into the refrigerator or freezer – is also helpful, making sure your settings are correct and monitoring temperatures when the power goes out.
When storing leftovers, divide large portions into shallow containers so they cool more quickly. A big pot of soup will take longer to cool than two or three smaller containers! Label leftovers with the date and use them within a safe timeframe. And don't wait until the food "looks questionable" before deciding whether to discard it. I think we can all admit we had something in the back of the refrigerator we didn’t know what it was or how long it had been in there!
Make September Your Food Safety Reset
National Food Safety Education Month is a great opportunity to choose one food safety habit to improve upon.
Maybe you'll start using a food thermometer more often or have a designated cutting board for raw meat. Maybe you will clean out your refrigerator or finally check its temperature. Whatever you decide to do, you don't have to overhaul your entire kitchen in one day. Start with one small change—and make it a habit. Because when it comes to food safety, small steps can have a big impact.
Have food safety or nutrition questions? Contact us at 913-715-7000 or foodhelp@jocogov.org
by Chelsea King, Nutrition, Food Safety and Health Agent, 2026