Microwaves are essential to all kitchens, from thawing meat for elegant meal prep to reheating those divine breadsticks you always get to go when leaving Olive Garden. If your family is like mine, when returning home from evening activities, there’s a race from the door to the refrigerator to determine who gets to heat their […]

Food waste is a common problem in many households and food establishments. In fact, about 133 billion pounds of food go to waste each year in the United States! So what can you do to help reduce the food you waste? Follow these guidelines to help you reduce waste—and save time and money—in both your […]

Recently, our food safety scientists received a question about what types of food need to be kept cold. You may already know that it’s important to refrigerate certain foods to help prevent pathogen growth. But how do you know what does and doesn’t need to go in the fridge? Here are a few guidelines that […]

Recently, our food safety scientists received the following question: What is the best guidance to assess microbial testing on varying food products to ensure food safety and quality? Each year, 600 million people around the world are sickened by contaminated food. To combat foodborne illness, the FDA sets standards for the food supply in the […]

Have you heard of this intimidating bacteria? Most people have heard of the disease it can cause—botulism. Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic bacteria, meaning that it thrives best in an oxygen-deprived environment. In addition to this, the bacteria can produce spores, which can survive until the conditions are ideal for bacterial growth. The bacteria produce […]

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 48 million people get sick each year from foodborne illnesses. When you become sick from a foodborne illness, you may not be sure what you should do. We’ve answered some of the most common questions about foodborne illness to help you know how to handle it when it […]

If you’ve never had the “stomach bug,” chances are you’ve known somebody who has. Stomach pains and never-ending trips to the bathroom are a few of the tell-tale signs that can indicate that you’ve eaten contaminated food. Every year, 48 million Americans become sick from foodborne illness. How is this possible? There are 5 major […]

How Can I Prevent Allergic Reactions? When preparing a meal, cutting chicken on the same cutting board that you used to chop up shrimp doesn’t seem like a big deal. But to someone with a shellfish allergy, that act alone could be life threatening. One simple mistake could easily give a customer an allergic reaction. Attention […]

We have all had meals that began with good intentions. You pull chicken out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw with plans to cook it that night. Maybe you forgot to pick your child up from soccer practice, or things began piling up at work. Whatever it be, your chicken […]

When safely cooking food, one area of concern is handling raw meat. Raw meat is one of the biggest culprits of spreading foodborne illness. If not handled correctly, meat can carry a number of foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. These dangerous diseases may cause abdominal pain, chills, fatigue, dizziness, fever, bloating, […]