4 Simple Steps

Follow the 4 simple steps of CLEAN, SEPARATE, COOK and CHILL to help protect your family from food-borne illness.

Clean: wash hands and surfaces often
Bacteria can easily spread throughout the kitchen. Wash hands, cutting boards, knives and countertops with hot, soapy water before and after preparing each type of food.

Separate: don't cross-contaminate
Cross-contamination is how harmful bacteria spread. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and their juices separate from foods that are cooked or ready-to-eat.

Cook: cook to a safe internal temperature
Improper cooking of food could mean that harmful bacteria survive and make you sick. Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill the harmful bacteria. Use a probe food thermometer to make sure food has reached a safe internal temperature. (See Safe Cooking Temperature chart)

Chill: refrigerate promptly, cool quickly
Bacteria multiply fastest at the temperatures between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F), so chilling food properly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of illness. Have an appliance thermometer in your fridge and check it often to make sure that it is at the correct temperature.

For more information on food safety or to speak with a Public Health Inspector, call York Region Health Connection at: 1-800-361-5653, TTY 1-866-252-9933.