Food Safety

Food Safety? That’s our priority.

WinCo - food safety - wash your hands oftenFood Safety is a top priority here at WinCo Foods. Not only are we committed to delivering great grocery values, we are also committed to ensuring every element of our operation is safe for you and your loved ones.

Food Safety requires a team effort. Through proactive measures and education, we can work to avoid contamination and disease. For more information, we invite you to visit the links listed under Food Safety on the right hand side of this page to find out how you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Safety Tips

Wash hands & Surfaces. It seems basic, but not everyone does it. Wash hands well and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom and before cooking or eating. If you’re in an outdoor setting with no bathroom, use a water jug, some soap, and paper towels. Consider carrying moist disposable towelettes for cleaning your hands.

WinCo - food safety - use separate dishes for raw and cooked foodSeparate means safe. Don’t use a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, or seafood for anything else unless the plate has first been washed in hot, soapy water. Keep utensils and surfaces clean. Assign utensils specific tasks. For example, have separate utensils you specifically use only on eggs, meat, poultry, vegetables, fruits, etc. Avoid cross contamination! A good tip for this would be buying utensils of one color to use while handling raw foods, another color to use while cooking and a third color to use while serving or eating.

Make the thermometer your best friend. To kill any harmful bacteria that may be present, use a food thermometer to help you keep hot food hot. If your family is enjoying a take-out meal and you’re not able keep it on a heat source, eat it within two hours of purchase or refrigerate accordingly if consumption time is pushed out. To ensure that all food is cooked to a safe temperature follow the recommended guidelines by foodsafety.gov or any instructions listed on food packaging.

Refrigerate/Freeze Food Promptly. Keep cold food cold. Cold food should be held at or below 40°F. Here are some helpful charts to help with proper storage of cold foods, courtesy of foodsafety.gov.

Make clean up part of your routine. Fully sanitize all surfaces, including countertops and cutting boards. Properly wash/sanitize, rinse and dry all dishes and utensils before they are put away. **Make sure that all dishes used are completely dry prior to putting away to avoid bacteria forming due to moisture.**