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1. Clean. Bacteria can be spread throughout cutting boards, utensils, hands, and food. Therefore it is important to wash hands and surfaces often. Follow these food safety practices to Fight BAC® in your kitchen and beyond! 

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food, using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets.


• Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing each food item and before you go on to the next food.


• Consider using paper towels to clean up kitchen surfaces. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine.


• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Rub firm-skinned fruits and vegetables under running tap water, or scrub with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing with running tap water. Alternatively, they may be soaked in a water/vinegar (8:1) solution prior to rinsing.

2. Separate. Don’t cross-contaminate. Cross-contamination is the unintentional transfer of bacteria from one object to another with harmful effects. To prevent the spread of harmful bacteria and reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses, practice proper handling of raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. 

• Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery bags, and refrigerator.


• Use one cutting board for fresh produce and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood.


• Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.

3. Cook. Cooking food to a safe internal temperature kills the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness. When cooking, the best way to Fight BAC® is: Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked meat, poultry, and egg dishes to make sure that the food is cooked. 

• Cook roasts and steaks to a minimum of 145 °F. All poultry should reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F.


• Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast with a food thermometer.


• Cook ground meat, where bacteria can spread during grinding, to at least 160 °F. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) links eating under-cooked ground beef with a higher risk of illness. Remember, color is not a reliable indicator of doneness. Use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of your burgers.


• Cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, not runny. Don’t use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked.


• Cook fish to 145 °F or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.


• Make sure there are no cold spots in food (where bacteria can survive) when cooking in a microwave oven. For best results, cover food, stir, and rotate for even cooking. If there is no turntable, rotate the dish by hand once or twice during cooking.


• Bring sauces, soups, and gravy to a boil when reheating. Heat other leftovers thoroughly to 165 °F.

4. Chill. Cold temperatures slow the growth of harmful bacteria, and therefore, it is important to refrigerate foods quickly. When it comes to keeping foods cold and safe, follow these tips: 

• Avoid over-stuffing the refrigerator, as it is important for cold air to circulate.


• Maintain a constant refrigerator temperature of 40 °F.


• Use an appliance thermometer to be sure the temperature is consistently 40 °F or below. The freezer temperature should be 0 °F or below.


• Refrigerate or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, and other perishables as soon as you get them home from the store.


• Never let raw meat, poultry, eggs, cooked food, or cut fresh fruits or vegetables sit at room temperature more than two hours before putting them in the refrigerator or freezer (one hour when the temperature is above 90 °F).


• Never defrost food at room temperature. Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately. Always marinate food in the refrigerator.


• Divide large amounts of leftovers into shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator. Use or discard refrigerated food on a regular basis.

• Clean hands, surfaces, and utensils.  Do not use the same cutting board that you used with raw meat or poultry without cleaning with hot water and soap before preparing fruits and vegetables. 


• Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running tap water, including those with skins and rinds. If packaged produce is labeled “ready-to-eat,” “washed,” or “triple-washed,” you do not need to wash the produce. Never use detergent or bleach to wash fruits or vegetables.


• Separate from contaminants. Keep fresh produce separate from raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs. Chill cut produce below 40 F. Cut, peeled, or cooked fresh fruits and vegetables should be refrigerated within two hours. Avoid pre-cut fruits and vegetables such as melon or salads that are not refrigerated.


• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDS) recommends choosing produce that isn’t bruised or damaged.


• When in doubt, throw it out.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cloves garlic


• 1 bunch green onions, sliced


• 4 cups watercress, washed and chopped (arugula may be substituted)


• 2 cups romaine hearts, washed and chopped


• 1½ cups orange juice


• 2 tsp. honey


• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil


• 4 tsp. soy sauce


• 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar


• 2 Tbsp. water


• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger


• ½ tsp. red chili flakes


• 1½ lbs. chicken tenders


• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped


• 2 Tbsp. peanuts, chopped

1. Wash hands with soap and water.


2. Scrub garlic with a clean vegetable brush under running water. Gently rub green onions, watercress, and romaine hearts under cold running water.


3. In a small saucepan, bring orange juice to a boil over medium heat. Boil to reduce by half, about 5 minutes.


4. In food processor or blender, combine juice, honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, water, ginger, and garlic. Process until smooth.


5. Remove half of the marinade, and place in a large plastic, sealable bag. Add red chili flakes and chicken tenders. Do not rinse raw poultry.


6. Wash hands with soap and water after handling uncooked chicken.


7. Marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator on lowest shelf. Reserve remaining dressing that was not used with the chicken. Do not reuse marinades used on raw foods.


8. In a large serving bowl, combine watercress, romaine, onions, and cilantro.


9. Warm large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove tenders from marinade, and add to pan, along with marinade.


10. Wash hands with soap and water.


11. Sauté chicken tenders about 3–4 minutes per side until cooked through and caramelized brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 °F on food thermometer.


12. Toss reserved dressing with greens. Top with grilled tenders. Add chopped peanuts before serving.