Your EnvironmentFood Safety

Food safety is important for everyone. Food can become contaminated by bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and parasites. Every year approximately 1 in 8 Canadians get sick from a foodborne illness. There are simple things you can do to protect yourself and others from foodborne illness, also known as food poisoning.

Prevent Food Poisoning

Practice safe food handling
Take a food handling course to learn how to prepare, cook, and store food safely
Check a restaurant’s health inspection report in Check IT CK
Sign up for recall notices from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Report food safety concerns to CK Public Health

Food Safety at Home

Germs that can make you sick are easily spread through your kitchen on hands, cutting boards, knives, and counter tops. Frequent hand washing and cleaning of surfaces and kitchen tools can prevent foodborne illness.

Always wash your hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before preparing food and after handling raw meat.
Clean and sanitize countertops, cutting boards, knives, and cooking utensils with a mild bleach solution after use and between preparation of raw meat and other foods.
Make your own bleach solution by mixing ½ teaspoon of bleach with 4 cups of water. Allow the solution to stay on the surface for 45 seconds to kill germs.
Throw away any cutting boards or utensils that are worn and difficult to clean.
Wash fruits and vegetables before eating.

Hands in yellow rubber gloves washing a green chopping board in a sink full of soapy water

Harmful bacteria often grow on raw meat, poultry and seafood. Keep raw foods and their juices away from any food that won’t be cooked to prevent the spread of germs.

Seal raw meat and seafood in air-tight containers or plastic bags.
Store sealed meats and seafood on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator to prevent meat juices from dripping onto foods below.
Use one cutting board for meat and seafood and a different cutting board for other food.
Do not put cooked food on a plate that had raw meat on it.

The inside of a refrigerator, with food stored in separate containers for safety.

Properly cooking foods kills germs that can make you sick. The only way to know that your food has been properly cooked is to use a food thermometer to check the final temperature.

Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, seafood, and eggs
Cooking times and temperatures vary based on the type of meat or seafood. For more information, see Health Canada’s recommended safe cooking temperatures.

Hygienic food handling procedures of a women checking the temperature of a cooked chicken.

Harmful germs grow quickly at temperatures between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F). Use a thermometer to make sure that your refrigerator temperature is below 4°C (40°F).

Refrigerate or freeze food within 2 hours of buying or preparing it.
If meat, seafood, dairy, gravy, or custards have been left out for more than 2 hours, throw them away.
Don't over-fill your refrigerator so air can circulate properly and keep foods at a safe temperature.
Do not thaw food at room temperature. Thaw foods in the refrigerator or under cold running water.
Visit Health Canada for information about how long you can safely store certain foods in the fridge and freezer.

The inside of a refrigerator showing the safe storage of different foods.

Food Recalls and Warnings

Sometimes foods that you buy at the store are recalled. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issues food recalls when it believes that a food may not be safe to eat. Some reasons for a recall may be:

People got sick after eating the food item
The food item contains allergens that are not listed on the package
Physical, biological, or chemical contamination

When a food product is recalled the CFIA will issue a recall notice. You can sign up to receive recall alerts by email.

If a product has been recalled, follow the instructions from the CFIA. If you are unsure if something is safe to eat, throw it away.

Your EnvironmentFood Safety

Prevent Food Poisoning

Food Safety at Home

Food Recalls and Warnings

Inspections & Enforcement

Related Content & Links

For More Information

CK Public Health

Health Information