Intro:
Welcome to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service "Food Safety At Home" podcast series, featuring topics for the safe handling, preparation and storage of meat, poultry and processed egg products. So, sit back, turn up the volume and listen in.

Narrator:
Hello! Thanks for joining us. This podcast asks the question, was the scenario you are about to hear Safe or Sorry? It describes a situation in which you need to determine if the food is safe to eat or needs to be thrown away. Listen carefully to the narrator at the end of this episode, as she will provide the correct answer to help you learn how to minimize your risk of food poisoning.

Educators – we invite you to stop the podcast at the “chime” to discuss the scenario before the narrator’s explanation.

Now, let’s listen in on the episode.

Sue:
Look at the wonderful lasagna I just finished making!

Frank:
Wow, Looks great and smells even better, let’s eat!

Sue:
Frank, this is not for tonight’s dinner. I told you I’m trying to prepare meals ahead of time to make dinner preparation easier during the work week. This lasagna will be dinner for Tuesday. That’s the night we are scheduled to attend an event at the school. Remember?

Frank:
I understand, it just smells so good!

Sue:
I’m sure it will be just as good on Tuesday, you can wait.
I’m going to leave the lasagna here on the counter to cool; please remind me to put it away later.

Narrator:
The next morning…

Sue:
Oh No! I forgot to put the lasagna in the refrigerator last night; do you think it will still be safe to eat?

Frank:
Sure! It’s only been 8 hours, and I have the air conditioning on in the house, so the house is a cool 68° F.

Sue:
That’s a good point! I’ll put the lasagna in the refrigerator now.

…. I’ll just cook it a little longer on Tuesday and it’ll be safe to eat.

Narrator:
Do you think that Sue and Frank made the right decision? Is a cool 68° F a safe temperature to chill food ?

Unfortunately, any food left out of refrigeration for over 2 hours should be discarded. When food is left in the danger zone (between 40° -140° F), bacteria will grow in the food. Cooking it longer will not make the food safe again.>

Outro:
Thanks for listening to this Food Safety At Home podcast. Let us know what you think of this podcast by sending your comments to podcast@fsis.usda.gov.

Last Modified May 20, 2013