City of Newton, MA
Home MenuFood Safety
To report a suspected foodborne illness to state and local health officials, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/report-my-meal
All food inspection reports are available upon request. To request a food report, click here.
1. Clean
Wash your hands and surfaces often!
- Germs can survive in many places and spread around your kitchen.
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after preparing food, and before eating.
- Always wash your hands after handling uncooked meat, chicken and other poultry, seafood, flour, or eggs.
- Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water
- Be sure to wash utensils, cutting boards, countertops, and other used kitchenware with hot soapy water after preparing food.
2. Separate
Do not cross-contaminate!
- Raw meat, chicken and other poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs that cause food-poisoning to ready-to-eat foods, unless you keep them separate.
- When grocery shopping, be sure to bag these items separate from other foods.
- Try to store them separate from all other foods in the refrigerator.
- A sealed container or securing wrapping is recommended, so juices do not leak onto other food.
- Use one cutting board/plate for uncooked meat and seafood and a separate cutting board for foods that will not be cooked.
3. Cook
Cook to the correct temperature!
- Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature is high enough to kill all the germs that can make you sick.
- The only way to be sure that food is safely cooked is by using a good thermometer.
- For more information about food thermometers, click here.
- Different foods require different cooking temperatures to ensure the food is safe to eat. Refer to this chart for a detailed list of temperatures and foods.
4. Chill
Refrigerate promptly!
- Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature.
- Be sure your refrigerator is at or below 40°F, and your freezer is at or below 0°F.
- Refrigerate perishable food such as meat, seafood, dairy, cut fruit, certain vegetables, and cooked leftovers within 2 hours.
- Thaw frozen food safely in the refrigerator, cold water, or the microwave. Never thaw food on the counter, bacteria multiply quickly in parts of the food that reach room temperature.
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