Eugene’s Parent-Child Preschool

Keep food safety in mind as you store, prepare, cook and serve food.  Food poisoning and disease prevention can be simplified into three rules:

1. Keep food clean.
2. Cook food adequately
3. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.

Keep Food Clean

• The best way to keep food clean is to keep your hands clean.  Hand washing is the single most effective way to reduce the spread of disease.
• Wash your hands thoroughly, using plenty of soap and water.  Scrub hands and fingers well.
• Keep pets, household cleaners and chemicals of areas where food is prepared.
• Teach children to wash their hands.
• Discourage anyone with an infectious disease from handling or serving food.
• Cover open cuts with gloves.
• Avoid using hands to mix food when utensils can be used.
• Wash and sanitize surfaces and utensils that come into contact with raw meat and juices.  You can sanitize washed surfaces with a solution of 1tbs. of bleach per gallon of water.
• If you serve peanuts and peanut products in your home, watch for cross-contamination that can happen with utensils and cookware. For example, make sure the knife you use to make peanut butter sandwiches is not used in preparing food for preschool snack or potluck dish.

Wash Hands

• Before handling food.
• After touching raw meat, seafood or eggs.
• After using the toilet, assisting anyone with the toilet or changing diapers.
• After cleaning up spills.
• After smoking or blowing your nose.

Cooking Guidelines

• Heating destroys bacteria that can be present in raw animal products.  Cook all meat, seafood and eggs thoroughly.
• Use pasteurized milk and juice.

Proper Storage Temperatures

• Do not keep perishable food at room temperature more than two hours.
• Keep hot food hot, over 140°.  Keep cold food cold, below 40°.

Preschool Dish Washing Procedures

(Threes and Fours Classes) Wash all items used.

1. Wash in hot water with soap or detergent.
2. Rinse in clean water
3. Sanitize by immersing or soaking for at least two (2) minutes in two (2) tbs. bleach to each gallon of cold water.  Do not use hot water as it causes the chlorine to evaporate.