Food safety: The 2-hour rule
TrainCan found this U.S. article interesting and thinks you might too! In Canada, there are very year, there are a total of about 4 million (1 in 8) Canadians are affected by a food-borne illness. Of these, there are about:11,600 hospitalizations and 238 deaths. (Source: Yearly food-borne illness estimates for Canada - Canada.ca)
Article By Brenda Marty-Jimenez Published October 10, 2023
Article Source: Food safety: The 2-hour rule | Community | midfloridanewspapers.com
Engaging in safe food handling procedures can prevent a serious food borne illness. The CDC estimates 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases each year in the United States. (https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/estimates-overview.html)
It is important to follow food safety guidelines to protect yourself, your family, co-workers, friends and others.
The basic food safety principles are – clean, separate, cook and chill (https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/keep-food-safe.html).
One of the basic food handling procedures is called the “2-hour rule.”
This is a common food safety practice. Hot foods need to stay hot. To keep hot foods safe, they need to be held at 140 degrees F or above. Cold foods need to stay cold. Cold foods must be kept at 40 degrees F or below.
Bacteria grow quickly between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F. This is known as the danger zone. Discard all perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, salads and casseroles left at room temperature for longer than two hours. This also includes a one-hour limit for foods in temperatures above 90 degrees F, such as at an outdoor summer picnic.
This is important for cooking and serving food and storing leftovers.
Keep food out of the danger zone! After food is safely cooked, hot food must be kept hot at 140° F or warmer to prevent bacterial growth. Within two hours of cooking food or after it is removed from an appliance keeping it warm (like a Sterno), leftovers must be refrigerated. Discard all perishable foods that have been left at room temperature for more than two hours (or discard after one hour if the temperature is over 90 degrees F).
Cold perishable food, such as chicken salad or a platter of deli meats, should be kept at 40° F or below.
When serving food at a buffet, keep food hot on the buffet table, in chafing dishes, slow cookers, and/or warming trays. Keep food cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice or using small serving trays and replacing them often. Discard any cold leftovers that have been left out for more than two hours at room temperature (or after one hour when the temperature is above 90 °F). (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety)
When we cook and serve food at home or eat out at another location, we need to be conscious of food safety and the basic food safety principles. The two-hour rule helps us to do just that.
When can food enter the danger zone? Here are a few examples:
· •A home birthday party.
· •Thanksgiving feast.
· •An office luncheon.
· •A family picnic held at a local park.
· •Any gathering – such as holiday dinner, work meeting, church function – where each guest brings a covered dish to share.
· •A conference serving a catered meal for lunch.
· •A 4-H club meeting of youth members and volunteers.
· •At the beach when grilling out on a hot summer day.
· •A church function serving food like a funeral.
· •A block party of neighbors gathering for some afternoon food and fun.
After a meal, store leftovers properly and determine if they are safe to eat.
The FoodKeeper app can help you determine if leftovers are safe to eat. You can download it on your cell phone and have it handy when needed: https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/foodkeeper-app.
Safe handling of food is very important to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Remember these recommendations for handling food safely at your next gathering. Don’t be afraid to speak up and get those leftovers safely into the refrigerator.
Eat safe and healthy food. Food safety matters.