Many Americans regularly eat lunch and snacks at their workplace. Some have designated lunchrooms, but many of us regularly eat at our desks- including me!

By following a few simple, common-sense food safety tips, you can safely dine during work hours. First, wash your hands properly and often!

Keep Cold Foods Cold:

• Use the refrigerator to store your lunch and snacks
• If there isn’t a refrigerator, use an ice pack or frozen water bottle
• Keep food out of the “Danger Zone” (41-135°F) for longer than 2 hours

Refrigerator Safety:

• Label and date your food and leftovers
• Throw away your foods that are over 3-5 days old
• Wash and sanitize the interior of the refrigerator on a regular basis

Microwave Oven Hints:

• Keep all foods being cooked or reheated covered
• Immediately wipe down all splatters
• Wash and sanitize the interior of the microwave on a regular basis

In The Break Or Lunch Room:

• Do not use sponges, which are a breeding ground for germs
• Use disposable paper towels
• Wash dishes in hot, soapy water, rinse, sanitize, and air dry

Food Safety Tools to Keep On Hand At Work:

• Hand Sanitizer
• Disinfectant Wipes
• Washing your hands and all surfaces with warm, soapy water is best, but if that is not possible, at least use hand sanitizer and/or disinfectant wipes.
• Paper Towels
• Spray Disinfectant
• Labels for foods and leftovers
• Marker
• Refrigerator Thermometer-make sure your office refrigerator is set properly below 40®
• Food Thermometer- always reheat leftover lunch foods to an internal temperature of 165®

If You Take Your Lunch To Work:

• Wash your lunch container and thermos in hot, soapy water every day
• If you use a brown paper bag, purchase lunch-size bags and use a clean bag each day
• Pre-heat thermos with hot water before filling with hot liquids
• Pre-chill the thermos with ice water before filling it with cold liquids

Desk Drawer Food Storage Hints:

• Snacks and foods may attract pests to work areas
• Periodically clean and disinfect desktops, drawers, table tops, and other work surfaces
• Keep only a limited supply of individually wrapped, single-serve portions of snacks in your desk drawer, purse, briefcase, or backpack.

Happy, food-safe office dining!