You can get or spread foodborne illnesses if you don’t clean your kitchen properly or if you don’t store food properly. Follow these food safety tips to help keep your kitchen safe.

Cleaning

• Dangerous bacteria grow easily in places that stay damp, such as kitchen sponges, dishcloths, sink drains and faucet handles.
• Clean and sanitize cutting boards, counter tops, kitchen sink drains, garbage disposals and connecting pipes regularly.   Wash with soap and hot water to clean. Then, to kill bacteria, sanitize with a store-bought kitchen cleaner or with a mild bleach solution (use 5 ml/1 tsp. bleach in 750 ml/3 cups water). After sanitizing counters and equipment, pour the bleach solution down the drain. Rinse with clean water. Let air dry if possible, or use clean kitchen towels or paper towels.
• Take food processors, meat grinders and blenders apart right after you use them. Clean the parts right away with soap and hot water. Sanitize with a mild bleach solution, as directed above.
• Keep one cutting board for raw meat, poultry and seafood and a different one for ready-to-eat or cooked foods. Plastic cutting boards are safer for cutting meat and poultry because they are easier to clean in the dishwasher. Clean and sanitize cutting boards after each use.
• Do not reuse any containers that were used for raw food until they have been cleaned properly.
• Wash hands well with soap and hot water for 20 seconds before and after handling raw food, especially meat, poultry and seafood.
• If you have an infection or cut on your hands, wear disposable gloves or cover the cut with a bandage. Wash gloved hands as often as bare hands because the gloves can pick up bacteria.
• If possible, air dry dishes and don’t handle them while they are wet. You can also dry them with clean kitchen towels.
• Wash kitchen towels, sponges, cloths and refrigerator handles often to prevent bacteria from growing.
• Wash the lids of canned foods just before opening them to keep dirt from getting into the food. Clean the blade of the can opener every time you use it.
• Regularly clean the pantry where you store dry goods, pasta, rice, canned food and cereals. Keep food off the floor. Store food in sealed containers.

The refrigerator and freezer

• Storing food in the refrigerator slows down most bacterial growth. Make sure the refrigerator is set at or below 4°C (40°F). Use a refrigerator thermometer to check the temperature. Adjust the temperature if you need to.
• Keep frozen food at or below -18°C (0°F). This temperature stops most bacterial growth, although it may not kill bacteria that was in the food before it was frozen.
• Clean the refrigerator and freezer regularly. Throw out spoiled foods.
• After shopping, put away the groceries that need to be refrigerated or frozen right away.
• Put raw meat, poultry or seafood in containers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Use containers that are large enough to prevent raw juices from dripping onto other food or touching other food.
• Do not let your refrigerator get too full. Cool air must be able to circulate freely.

Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the Government of Canada’s regulator for food safety, animal health and plant protection. Food safety and consumer protection are essential to the health of Canadians.