1. Chill. Are you cool enough
Chill. Are you cool enough? This presentation will review the importance of keeping foods cool at the right temperature to help prevent foodborne illness.

2. Which looks like your fridge?A B
Which refrigerator looks more like yours? Hopefully, you said the one on the left, fridge A. When your refrigerator temperature gets above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria that may have contaminated food can grow quickly. Consuming this contaminated food can cause mild to severe foodborne illness. There are more than 250 known foodborne illnesses. They can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
Ever suffer from the mystery ’24 hour flu’? You may have yourself to blame – if you didn’t store food safely.

3. The Danger Zone
41ºF to 140ºF
Bacteria grow quickly; do not store food within this temperature range for more than 2 hours
Stay out of the danger zone, by keeping foods cool in the refrigerator or freezer. The food safety danger zone is a temperature range from 41 degrees F to 140 degrees F. When food sits for too long in this danger zone, bacteria have the opportunity to quickly grow and multiply. Further, some bacteria when given the chance to grow can produce a toxin, or waste product, that can make you ill.  This toxin is not killed by heat so you could become ill even though you reheated the food. The general rule of thumb is that cooked food that has been at room temperature for over 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is over 90 degrees F) should not be consumed.  

4. To help keep food safe, maintain your refrigerator at 32 to 40 degrees F and your freezer at zero degrees F.

5. Chill Out Buy a fridge thermometer Pack a cooler
Don’t know if your refrigerator is cool enough? Most refrigerators/freezers do not have a built in thermometer, but a trip to the store can solve this. Buy inexpensive refrigerator and freezer thermometers, with a hook and/or suction cup, so they can hang or stick on a shelf in your fridge and freezer. Before, taking your next road trip, short or long, pack a cooler to keep foods at a safer temperature while traveling.
Pack a cooler

6. Let’s see how Dick and Jane keep cool
Let’s see how Dick and Jane keep cool. See Dick and Jane get home from school and grab a snack.

7. See Dick and Jane get a snack.

8. See Dick and Jane eat their snack.
See what could happen to Dick and Jane.

9. Bottom Line . . .
Bottom line – keep your refrigerator between 32 and 40 degrees F to keep the foods you store safer to eat. Keep your freezer at zero degrees as well.