Download FROM: Cleveland Department of Public Health

FROM: Cleveland Department of Public Health
Raafeeq Ali, Food Program Manager
Office: (216) 664-4925
S
Jana Rush, Chief Epidemiologist
Office: (216) 664-3747
Monique Witherspoon, PIO
Office: (216) 664-7081
Email: [email protected]
__________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2014
Public Health Promotes Food Safety
Over the Holiday Weekend
CLEVELAND –With Memorial Day weekend quickly approaching, stressing the
importance food safety is a priority for the Cleveland Department of Public Health
(CDPH).
Unsafe food handling or storage can cause serious illness, including E. coli, and
Salmonella. “Warm weather makes it easier for harmful bacteria to multiply”, says Jana
Rush, CDPH’s Chief Epidemiologist. Ms. Rush also says, “A good rule of thumb is that
anything you have to cook needs to remain hot and anything cold needs to remain cold.”
Here are some of the most important food safety tips for grilling outdoors:

Wash Your Hands
Always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat and poultry, after
touching dirty kitchen equipment, utensils, dishes, work surfaces, and when
hands are visibly soiled. Hand washing is the most important action to stop the
spread of infection and disease.

Keep Cold Food Cold
Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use.
poultry out when they are ready to go on the grill.
Only take meat and

Cook Food Thoroughly
Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe minimum internal
temperature.

Keep Everything Clean
Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters. To prevent foodborne
illness, do not use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and
poultry. Harmful bacteria present in raw meat and poultry and their juices can
contaminate safely cooked food.

Reheat Completely
When reheating fully cooked meats like hot dogs, grill to 165 °F or until steaming
hot.
-more-

Keep Hot Food Hot
After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served — at 140 °F
or warmer. While at home, keep cooked meat hot in an oven set at approximately
200 °F.

Serve Food on a Clean Platter
When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Do not put cooked food on the
same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the
raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.
Raafeeq Ali, Food Program Manager at CDPH says, “Following these simple food safety
tips can make your cookout experience a healthy and enjoyable one.”
For more information about food safety, please call (216) 664-2300, check out our Twitter
@ClevelandHealth, www.facebook.com/CDPHOEP, or visit Cleveland Department of
Public Health’s website at http://www.clevelandhealth.org/.
###