Food Safety

Food poisoning can be prevented if you follow food safety practices. This page provides food safety tips and information for the general public. 

If you are a food service operator or preparing food for the public, visit Health Standards for Restaurants and Food Services. 

Looking for local public health inspection results? Visit Check it! We inspect it. 

On this page:

Food safety practices

Clean

Clean your hands, and wash and sanitize surfaces and equipment. Do it often and do it well. Bacteria can get onto hands, cutting boards, knives, dishcloths, counters and the food itself.

  • Always wash your hands with soap and warm water for 15 seconds before handling food or eating.
  • Keep kitchen equipment, counters, taps, sinks and appliances clean. You can sanitize using a bleach and water solution (1 teaspoon of bleach per 1 litre of water).
  • Wash dishcloths in the washing machine regularly. Use paper towels to clean surfaces if possible.
  • Wash all raw produce under cold, running water before cutting or eating.

Separate

Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate. Ready-to-eat foods do not require cooking before eating, like fruits, vegetables and already-cooked foods.

Cross-contamination occurs when bacteria spread from one food to another. This can easily happen when cooked or ready-to-eat foods come into contact with raw meat or other uncooked foods, dirty hands, or contaminated utensils or cutting boards.

  • Store raw meats, poultry, seafood, and eggs below ready-to-eat foods.
  • Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meats and fruits/vegetables.
  • Use separate plates or surfaces for raw meats. Do not mix cooked and ready-to-eat foods with raw meats.
  • Marinate foods in the refrigerator and prepare a new marinade for basting.

Cook

You can reduce your risk of food poisoning by thoroughly cooking your food. You are taking a risk whenever you eat meat, poultry or fish that is raw or partly cooked. Use a probe thermometer to check cooking temperatures for meat, poultry and fish at the thickest part.

Proper internal cooking temperatures of common foods:

  • Pork: 71°C (160°F)
  • Whole poultry: 82°C (180°F)
  • Poultry pieces/ground: 74°C (165°F)
  • Ground beef: 71°C (160°F)
  • Fish/seafood: 70°C (158°F)
  • Egg dishes: 74°C (165°F)
  • Mixed dishes: 74°C (165°F)

Preparation and serving tips:

  • Keep food hot, at 60°C or above, after it is cooked and until it is served.
  • If you use your microwave, make sure the food is cooked evenly.
  • Reheat leftovers to their original cooking temperature.

Chill

Keeping cold foods cold will reduce the risk of food poisoning. Cold temperatures slow down the growth of bacteria.

  • Keep cold food at 4°C (40°F) or colder. Set your refrigerator temperature to less than 4°C. Use ice packs for picnics and lunch bags.
  • Refrigerate food within two hours of purchase or preparation.
  • Chill food quickly by using an ice bath or by dividing it into smaller portions or shallow containers.
  • Do not overfill your refrigerator. It needs space for the cool air to circulate and keep food cold.
  • Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator. Use a microwave to defrost immediately before cooking

More safe food handling tips Food safety for food businesses

Facts about raw (unpasteurized) milk

Raw milk can contain bacteria that could make you sick. Pasteurization eliminates these bacteria and makes sure the milk we drink is safe. Milk must be pasteurized to be sold in Canada. It is illegal to sell, offer for sale, deliver or distribute unpasteurized (raw) milk and milk products in Ontario (Section 18 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act).

More information about raw milk and the associated risks:

Food poisoning

Foodborne illness, commonly known as food poisoning, happens when you eat food containing harmful germs or organisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi. Many foods naturally contain small amounts of these germs, and your body can usually handle them without getting sick. If you follow food safety practices, you can prevent food poisoning.

Many people think food poisoning happens only when you go out to eat, but many cases happen at home. Unsafe food handling allows harmful germs to get into food or multiply to the point where they can make you sick.

Anyone planning to prepare food for the public must take the food handler education and training.

Signs and symptoms of food poisoning

Food poisoning is often mistaken for other types of illness. It is not always easy to tell that your symptoms have been caused by food. You can start feeling sick anywhere from hours to weeks after eating contaminated food. It's not always the last thing you ate.

Food poisoning can cause a variety of symptoms, such as:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Stomach cramps
  • Stomach pain

Seek medical attention immediately if your symptoms are severe. Young children, older adults, pregnant people or people with underlying conditions should call or visit their doctor right away if they are experiencing food poisoning symptoms.

 Making a food safety complaint

Submit a complaint to Public Health if you:

  • Think you have food poisoning after eating at a food business in Waterloo Region
  • Have concerns about the food safety practices at a food establishment in the Region of Waterloo

Call 519-575-4400 to make a complaint or report online on our Check it! We inspect it website. This site also includes public health inspection results for food premises throughout Waterloo Region.

It is helpful for our investigation to know:

  • Where you ate
  • When (date and time) you went to the place or ate the meal
  • What you ate
  • What symptoms you have and when they first developed

It is important to submit a stool sample to Public Health to determine whether the suspected food caused the illness. Stool kits are available from the public health inspector who speaks to you about your complaint.

Additional resources

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