The Four Steps to Food Safety: Common Questions
The four core habits US food safety agencies promote at home: clean, separate, cook and chill.
Last revised
The Four Steps to Food Safety: the questions people actually ask, answered from published guidance.
Key takeaways
- Clean: wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food
- Separate: keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs away from ready-to-eat foods
- Most useful single change: Keep an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator and freezer and check it.
- Commonest mistake: Washing raw chicken or meat, which splashes germs around the sink.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
What is The Four Steps to Food Safety?
The four core habits US food safety agencies promote at home: clean, separate, cook and chill.
Why does it matter?
Foodborne illness sickens about 48 million people in the US each year, and most home cases can be prevented with these simple steps.
The 2-hour rule for The Four Steps to Food Safety?
Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or 1 hour if it is above 90°F (32°C).
What is the single most useful thing to do?
Keep an appliance thermometer in your refrigerator and freezer and check it.
What is the most common mistake?
Washing raw chicken or meat, which splashes germs around the sink.
When should I see a doctor?
See your doctor for diarrhea lasting more than 3 days, bloody diarrhea, a fever over 102°F (38.9°C), or vomiting so often you cannot keep liquids down; pregnant people, older adults, young children and people with weakened immune systems should call sooner. Call 911 for signs of severe dehydration such as fainting or confusion, or for blurred vision, drooping eyelids or trouble swallowing or breathing.
Related topics
- What the Guidance Really Says About Norovirus (Infectious Diseases)
- The Evidence on Infection Prevention at Home, Without the Hype (Immunity)
- Foods to Avoid in Pregnancy: What the Evidence Actually Says (Pregnancy and Postpartum)
- Portion Sizes: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise (Weight Management)
Where to go next
- What People Get Wrong About The Four Steps to Food Safety
- The Four Steps to Food Safety for Beginners: Where to Start
- The Four Steps to Food Safety — the reference entry
- Food Safety: The Complete Guide
- Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures: What Published Guidance Supports
- Storing and Reheating Leftovers: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
When to get help
See your doctor for diarrhea lasting more than 3 days, bloody diarrhea, a fever over 102°F (38.9°C), or vomiting so often you cannot keep liquids down; pregnant people, older adults, young children and people with weakened immune systems should call sooner. Call 911 for signs of severe dehydration such as fainting or confusion, or for blurred vision, drooping eyelids or trouble swallowing or breathing.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarized or generalized beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to your doctor, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 911.
