Winn-Dixie works hand-in-hand with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food Safety and Inspection Service to ensure the food consumers purchase at Winn-Dixie is safe. However, we are concerned that the consumer must continue to safeguard their perishable items even after purchase and preparation. Therefore, we offer the following Food Safety Tips to help everyone ensure proper handling and storage of food products. 

The following websites contain additional information about food safety:
Fight BAC! - Partnership For Food Safety Education
Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency

Take-Out Food Safety
How do you ensure take-out food (cold and hot) and leftovers are kept safe?
Hot Take-out Food Precautions

• Rotisserie Chicken
• Hamburgers
• Mexican Food
• Chinese Food
• Pizza
• And many other convenience foods.

Most take-out foods are consumed immediately. But there are times when take-out foods are purchased to eat at a later time. Or there may be leftovers which must be stored safely for future use.

• Take-out foods are perishable and can cause illness when mishandled. To keep hot food safe, hold above 140° F.
• Take-out food that is purchased or delivered hot should be eaten within two hours of preparation.

If you are not eating hot take-out within two hours, keeping the food warm is not good enough. Harmful bacteria can multiply between 40° and 140° F. To avoid this you should set the hot food in an oven high enough to keep the food at 140° F. or above. Check the internal temperature of food with a meat thermometer. Covering with foil will help keep your food moist.

You can also keep hot food hot (140° F or hotter) with chafing dishes or slow cookers that have been pre-heated.

If you are eating the hot take-out much later, it is not a good idea to try and keep food hot longer than two hours. Food will taste better if you place it in shallow containers, divide large quantities or cover loosely and refrigerate immediately.

To reheat, warm food thoroughly to a temperature of 165° F or until hot and steaming. In the microwave oven, cover food and rotate so it heats evenly. Allow a two minute stand time for more thorough heating (Consult your microwave owner's manual for recommended times and power levels). Inadequate heating can contribute to illness.

Cold Take-out Precautions 

When purchasing cold take-out remember to keep cold food cold. Refrigerate immediately. Cold food should be held at 40° F or colder.

The two hour rule. Perishable food should not be at room temperature longer than two hours. Discard food which has been left at room temperature longer than two hours. For temperatures over 90° F, discard after one hour.

Deli Platters -- Keep food cold on the buffet table by nesting dishes in bowls of ice. Use small platters of food, and replace them with fresh platters, rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food on it.

Picnics -- When take-out food is purchased cold to eat at a later time, like a picnic or a sporting event, a cooler with ice is a practical alternative to a refrigerator. The cooler should be well insulated and packed with ice or freezer packs.

Leftovers - Food Storage Guidelines

• Perishable food should not be out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly in shallow covered containers.
• It is safe to freeze leftover take-out. Wrap tightly for best quality.

Leftovers - Storage in the refrigerator

• 40° F or below
• You can keep cooked meat or poultry 3 to 4 days
• Fried Chicken 3 to 4 days
• Pizza 3 to 4 days
• Deli prepared convenience foods such as egg, tuna, and macaroni salads 3 to 5 days
• Foods stored longer may begin to spoil or become unsafe to eat.

Leftovers - Storage in the freezer

• 0° F or below
• Cooked meat or poultry 3 to 6 months
• Fried chicken 4 months Deli sliced luncheon meats 1 to 2 months
• Deli prepared convenience foods 3 to 4 months (Salads made with mayonnaise do not freeze well) Foods kept frozen longer than the recommended times are safe, but may be drier and may not taste as good.

For More Information
You may call the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555, 10 AM till 4 PM (EST), Monday through Friday.

Developed by:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

in cooperation with
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition