Keeping Your Meat Safe
Published October 5, 2018
Reviewed October 2018

Wavebreakermedia Ltd/Wavebreaker Media/Thinkstock
More and more Americans are becoming concerned about ensuring the food they eat is safe. You can take an active role in safeguarding your food by practicing proper food-handling procedures. Below are tips that will help you get your meat safely from the grocery aisle to the kitchen table.
Buying
- Always look for the Safe Handling label on packages
- The label indicates that the meat has been processed safely and will give you tips for proper food handling and cooking
- Make sure the meat is tightly wrapped
- Pick up the meat last and ask to have it bagged separately from other groceries
Storing
- Always handle meats with clean, dry hands
- Store meat in the coldest part of the refrigerator or in the refrigerator's meat bin
- Use fresh, raw meats stored in the refrigerator within 3 to 4 days of purchase
- Throw away ground meats, sausage and organ meats after 2 days
- Freeze meats in freezer-safe wrap at 0°F
- Cooked meats should be eaten or frozen within 3 to 4 days
Preparing
- Wash hands thoroughly for 20 seconds before, during and after handling raw meat
- Use two separate cutting boards and knives to avoid cross-contamination
- Use one for raw meats and the other for fruits and vegetables
- Color-coded cutting boards can help you remember which is which
- Defrost meats in the refrigerator or in the microwave by using the defrost setting — never on the counter
- If you thaw meat in the microwave, cook it immediately
- Use a food thermometer to cook to proper temperatures
- Cook ground beef to 160°F and ground poultry to 165°F
- Beef, veal and lamb should reach 145°F
- Cook pork to 145°F
- All poultry should be cooked to 165°F
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F
- Always marinate in the refrigerator
- If you want to re-use marinade that has touched raw meat, always bring it to a boil first
- Cooked meats should not be left unrefrigerated for more than two hours