Keep Your Food Safe

Food that goes bad can make you sick. This is called food poisoning, or foodborne illness.

Sometimes when people think they have the "flu" or a "stomach bug," they really have a foodborne illness.

You can keep food safe. How to:

• buy safe food
• keep it safe at home.

What makes food go bad? Germs. They get on food and grow. You cannot see germs on food. You cannot always smell or taste them, either.

These are some of the foods germs like best:

• Milk and other dairy products
• Eggs
• Meat
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Fruits and vegetables

Foods that are likely to have germs that can make you sick include:

• Unpasteurized or untreated juices, such as apple cider
• Sprouts
• Raw eggs and foods that contain raw eggs, such as cookie dough and Caesar salad dressing

Safe Food At the Store

Do the cans have dents? Are the jars cracked? Do they have lids that are not closed tight? The food may have germs that can make you sick. Only buy cans and jars that look perfect.

Check eggs, too. Open the carton to see if any eggs are broken or cracked. Only buy eggs that are refrigerated in the store.

Raw meat, poultry, and seafood sometimes drip. The juices that drip may have germs. Keep these juices away from other foods. Put raw meat, poultry, and seafood into plastic bags before they go into your cart.

Pick up milk and other cold foods last. This will give them less time to warm up before you get home.

Save hot chicken and other hot foods for last, too. This will give them less time to cool off before you get home.