USDA recommends adding food safety articles to your

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On your next back to school shopping spree, make sure to include food safety items on your shopping list to help keep school lunches safe.

“Parents focus on the health and safety of their children every day, and that focus includes how they prepare and pack lunch,” said Sandra Eskin, assistant undersecretary for food safety at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). “With children at particular risk of developing serious foodborne illnesses, food safety must be at the top of the list when preparing lunches for school and field trips.”

Consider the following for your shopping list:

• Clean and disinfect surfaces and utensils: Clean your prep area before starting lunch at school. A recent USDA study showed that cross-contamination was widespread in the kitchen during food preparation. Therefore, be sure to wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with soap and water after preparing each food item and before moving on to the next item. A homemade bleach-based solution of one tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach to one gallon of water can be used to disinfect kitchen surfaces and utensils.

• Cutting boards in different colors: Separate meat and poultry from ready-to-eat foods (such as fruit, vegetables, cheese, etc.) to avoid cross-contamination during meal preparation.

• Food thermometer for food preparation: If you’re preparing a frozen item for your child’s lunch, use a food thermometer to check if a meal has reached a safe temperature to kill harmful bacteria. Caution: Some frozen foods are not fully cooked or ready to eat, but have browned breading, grill marks, or other signs that indicate they are cooked. Make sure they’re cooked to a safe internal temperature: meats (whole beef, pork, and lamb) 145 F with a 3-minute pause; ground beef 160 F; Poultry (ground and whole) 165 F; eggs 160 F; fish and shellfish 145 F; and Leftovers and Casseroles 165 F.

• Insulated lunch boxes and gel…