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Food Safety

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Food Safety

We all eat food. Some people make food at home. Some people eat out, order take out, and eat on the go. Some people like to eat at outdoor cookouts or campouts and some people make lunches for their children during the school year. For that reason, food safety is a major public health concern.

According to the CDC, each year roughly:

  • 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick 128,000 are hospitalized, and
  • 3,000 die of foodborne diseases

Abiding by the New Jersey Department of Health food safety standards and regulations is important to prevent food-borne illnesses and diseases from spreading. The Maplewood Health Department inspects and licenses all restaurants and food vendors in the township to ensure that they adhere to these rules.

Educational Resources

New Jersey Department of Health Consumer and Environmental Health Services "Chill It, Cook it, Check It" Brochure.

Four Steps (Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill) to Food Safety from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Foodsafety.gov offers great advice on preparing school lunches, preventing foodborne illnesses when camping, oyster safety, food safety in colleges and more.

One of the best ways to prevent a foodborne illness is to practice good handwashing. Refer to the CDC webpage on when and how to wash your hands.