What Do You Know About Food Safety?

Do not use soap, detergents, or bleaches on fruits or vegetables. Instead, rinse them thoroughly under running water. If you must remove surface dirt, use a small vegetable brush. Cut out damaged or bruised areas.

Tomatoes that are leaking have spoiled and should not be eaten. The bacteria found in rotting tomatoes can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.

Packaging is meant to protect the food item from bacteria and other contamination. If a container is damaged, the food inside could be contaminated.

This date is used to indicate when a food may begin to decline in flavor or quality. It does not refer to safety. "Expiration Date" indicates the last date that a food should be eaten. "Sell By" and "Use By" are similar in purpose to the "Best If Used By" date. If you see a food item at a store that has passed its "Best If Used By" date, you might want to pass it up for something fresher.

"Sous vide" means "under vacuum." These plastic pouches contain either raw foods or foods that have been partly cooked, then sealed in a vacuum before processing with heat. This kind of packaging should be refrigerated and should keep for 3 to 4 weeks. When you are ready to eat it, the pouch is heated in boiling water.

When you buy hot cooked food, you should eat it within 2 hours. This is to prevent harmful bacteria that start to multiply. If you aren't eating the food within 2 hours and want to keep it hot, place the food in the oven at or above 140°F (60°C). Cover food in the oven to keep it moist. If you want to bring home leftovers from a restaurant meal, but don't expect to be home within 2 hours, it's safer to pass up the leftovers. Cold foods should get similar care. If you are not eating cold food within 2 hours after buying or making it, put it in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.

If the leftovers are perishable—an egg salad sandwich, for instance—and you did not have a cold pack in your lunch bag, you should throw out the sandwich. Foods that have been kept correctly cold, or that are nonperishable, can be saved for another meal. When in doubt, discard a food item rather than eating it.

Even eggs that are clean and have uncracked shells may occasionally contain Salmonella bacteria, which can cause an intestinal infection. For safety, eggs should be cooked until the yolks and whites are firm. Scrambled eggs should be firm throughout.