FAQs On Preppers Food Safety: How To Handle Food Safely

How To Handle Food Safely For Your Emergency Stockpile?

FAQs on preppers food safety means handling food, cooking and storage are essential to prevent food borne illness from harmful bacteria.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate; therefore, this post may contain affiliate links for me to earn a commission. RuralMoney.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Many people are in a hurry to start a prepper pantry, in case of an emergency, but you can’t see, smell or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness.

These basics of handling food safely are ‘mistakes’ that preppers commonly make, but following these steps can help you avoid them.

In every step of prepper pantry food preparation, follow the four steps of the USDA to keep food safe:

1. Clean. Wash hands and surfaces often.
2. Separate. Don’t cross-contaminate.
3. Cook. Cook to the right temperature.
4. Chill. Refrigerate promptly.

FAQs On Preppers Food Safety: How To Handle Food Safely While Shopping?

Purchase refrigerated or frozen items after selecting your non-perishables.

Never choose meat or poultry in packaging that is torn or leaking.

Do not buy food past “Sell-By,” “Use-By,” or other expiration dates.

How To Handle Food Safely For Storage?

Always refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours—1 hour when the temperature is above 90 °F (32.2 ºC).

Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer with an appliance thermometer.

The refrigerator should be at 40 °F (4.4 ºC) or below and the freezer at 0 °F (-17.7 ºC) or below.

Cook, freeze or can fresh poultry, fish, ground meats and variety meats within 2 days; other beef, veal, lamb, or pork, within 3 to 5 days.

Perishable food such as meat and poultry should be wrapped securely to maintain quality and to prevent meat juices from getting onto other food.

To maintain quality when freezing meat and poultry in its original package, wrap the package again with foil or plastic wrap that is recommended for the freezer.

Canned foods are safe indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to freezing temperatures, or temperatures above 90 °F.

If the cans look OK, they are safe to use.

Discard cans that are dented, rusted, or swollen.

High-acid canned food (tomatoes, fruits) will keep their best quality for 12 to 18 months; low acid canned food (meats, vegetables) for 2 to 5 years.

How To Handle Food Safely During Preparation?

Always wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food.

Don’t cross-contaminate.

Keep raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other food.

After cutting raw meats, wash cutting board, utensils and countertops with hot, soapy water.

Using a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water can sanitize cutting boards, utensils and countertops.

Marinate meat and poultry in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Use disposable poly gloves.

How To Handle Food Safely While Thawing?

• Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing.

Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food.

• Cold Water: For faster thawing, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag.

Submerge in cold tap water.

Change the water every 30 minutes.

Cook immediately after thawing.

• Microwave: Cook meat and poultry immediately after microwave thawing.

How To Handle Food Safely While Cooking?

Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 ºC) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source.

For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

For reasons of personal preference, you may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

• Ground Meats: Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F (71.1 ºC) as measured with a food thermometer.
• Poultry: Cook all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C) as measured with a food thermometer.

These food safety tips may seem obvious, but as simple as washing hands is, cross contamination is one of the most common culprits of food borne illness in prepper pantry storage.

Handling food safely before you store it is your emergency food storage insurance policy.

Related Post: FAQS ON DEFENSE AGAINST VIRAL DISEASES