Keep fresh meat and meat juices away from other foods in the refrigerator, and when preparing. Never place cooked foods on the same platter that held fresh meats or poultry. This stops cross-contamination of bacteria.
Wash your hands thoroughly in hot, soapy water before and after handling meat and other fresh foods. This keeps bacteria from your hands off the food, and keeps bacteria from the food off your hands.
Refrigerate or freeze fresh meat and poultry products as soon after purchasing as possible. Freeze it if you won’t cook it within a day or two of the sell-by date.
Do not defrost frozen meat and poultry products at room temperature. Keeping the products cold during defrosting is the key to preventing bacteria from growing.
Frozen meat should be completely thawed before you start cooking it. This is to ensure the centre (which is frozen the most) reaches the right internal temperature for cooking without overcooking the outside.
Food made from any type of minced meat, such as sausages and burgers, must be cooked thoroughly all the way through to be safe.
Some meat, such as steaks and joints of beef or lamb, can be served rare (not cooked in the middle) as long as the outside has been properly cooked. This will kill any bacteria that might be on the outside of the meat.
Wash fruit and vegetables under clean running water to remove soil and bacteria. Peeling or cooking fruit and vegetables also helps to remove bacteria.
Feeding yourself well goes beyond what you eat. If you are hungry for attention, comfort, understanding, or companionship, turn toward friends and family instead of food.
Our physical resilience depends largely on what we eat, so nutrition is our first line of defense in keeping our immune systems strong.