Cook Food Thoroughly Another important defense against disease is to cook your food thoroughly - and not just until it looks done. There are specific temperatures that your meat should reach when cooking and each home should have a metal-stemmed thermometer to measure food temperature.
Poultry, stuffed fish, stuffed meat, stuffed pasta, and any stuffing with meat products
165-170
Chicken and turkey breasts, leftovers
165-180
Chicken and turkey (whole birds, legs, thighs, and wings), and ground poultry
Prevent Cross Contamination When unloading your groceries, it is important to think about more than what fits best on each shelf. Putting meat on the bottom shelf and ready-to-eat foods on the top shelves helps prevent cross contamination. Since foods such as fruits and vegetables are often not cooked before they are served, it is important to protect them from meat drippings and other sources of bacteria. In addition, when preparing foods, wash your hands after handling raw meat and before handling ready-to-eat foods.