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Four Tips for Buying Food Safely
There are four main principles to shopping for food safely.
1. Shop at Busy, Reputable Stores
Shop at stores where you’re confident that they handle and store their products properly. Busy stores will have higher turnover of stock and fresher products. Stores should be clean and well lit, so that you can get a proper look at what you’re buying. For this reason, you should also avoid shopping in dark, dirty stores.
Food Recalls
Most governments post food recalls online. Check periodically to make sure you haven’t purchased an item that has been recalled.
2. Separate Items to Minimize Contamination
For food safety reasons, it’s important to properly organize your shopping cart. To minimize contamination, separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from items that will be eaten raw.
Here’s a trick to avoid contaminating your hands when shopping for these items. Turn a plastic bag inside out. With the bag over your hand, pick up your raw meat, poultry or seafood, and then pull the bag over the item. It’s also a good idea to ask the cashier to place raw meat, poultry or seafood in a separate bag from other items.
In addition, to minimize the risk of contamination, separate chemicals, such as kitchen cleaners, from food items.
Click on the image below to expand.
Reusable Bags
Reusable bags are great for the environment, but can harbor pathogens. Designate one bag for potentially hazardous foods, and wash all reusable bags frequently, preferably in the hot cycle of your washing machine.
Properly Organized Shopping Cart
3. Take Quality Control Steps at the Store
Ensure that you bring home products that are safe to eat. Be sure to check best before dates, especially for potentially hazardous foods. The best before date is the date before which food should be consumed.
Avoid dented, bulging or leaky cans, as well as broken packaging. Make sure your produce is fresh and in good condition, without any bruises or damage.
When purchasing potentially hazardous foods, inspect it to make sure that it’s in good condition. For example, check that there is no torn skin on chicken, and that there are no broken eggs in a carton.
Follow Label Instructions
Read and follow the label directions on how to store the food: “Keep Refrigerated,” “Best Before,” “Refrigerate after Opening” and “Keep Frozen.”
Instructions: Watch these videos.
Watch these videos to see what to look for when buying chicken, eggs and rice.
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Buying Chicken
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Buying & Storing Eggs
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Checking Best Before Dates on Rice
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4. Buy Refrigerated & Frozen Items Last
Before you shop, think about the order in which to get items. Start with the lowest risk foods first, such as canned and dry goods. Next, shop for produce and then dairy and eggs. Then, shop for potentially hazardous foods such as refrigerated meats, poultry or seafood. Lastly, shop for frozen items as it is essential that these products do not thaw and then get re-frozen.
To minimize the chance of foodborne illness, it’s important to get refrigerated and frozen food home as soon as possible. Buy these items on days when you can get them straight home. You can bring a small cooler with you to the grocery store to keep these items cool, but this is not a substitute for getting them home right away.