Leftovers and Food Safety from the USDA

Often, when we cook at home or eat in a restaurant, we have leftovers. To ensure that leftovers are safe to eat, cook the food to a safe temperature and refrigerate the leftovers promptly. Not cooking food to a safe temperature and leaving food out at an unsafe temperature are the two leading causes of foodborne illness. The safe handling of leftovers is very important to reducing foodborne illness. 

Follow the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s recommendations for handling leftovers safely.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service offers many other fact sheets and resources. Look for them in the gray column at the left of their page.

CLICK HERE to learn about the following topics:

  • Cook Food Safely at Home
  • Keep Food out of the Danger Zone
  • Cool Food Rapidly
  • Wrap Leftovers Well
  • Store Leftovers Safely
  • Thaw Frozen Leftovers Safely
  • Reheating Leftovers without Thawing
  • Reheat Leftovers Safely
  • Refreezing Previously Frozen Leftovers

About Food Waste Prevention Week in the DMV’s Co-Hosts

Community Food Rescue, a program of Manna Food Center, is the coordinated food recovery network of Montgomery County, Maryland. This program partners with businesses, individuals, and organizations to recover and redistribute perfectly good food to people experiencing hunger.

The DC Food Recovery Working Group comprises a variety of partners from food banks, non-profits, and for-profits working on food recovery, DC government agencies, local environmental and sustainability organizations, and food recovery advocates. The Working Group promotes food recovery programs, organizations, and resources, and develops new food recovery partnerships, programs, and resources for greater DC.

The Montgomery County Food Council serves as the primary connection point for businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and residents around food system issues in our County. The Council brings together over 2,000 local and regional partners in community-wide education, advocacy, and capacity building initiatives in support of an equitable and resilient food system that is healthy for our community, economy, and environment.  

Food Rescue US – DC is the local arm of Food Rescue US, a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing food waste and alleviating the burden of food insecurity. Operating across the District, northern Virginia, and nearby parts of Maryland, FRUS – DC rescues over 40,000 pounds of food every week by organizing volunteers on its proprietary app to deliver to local social service agencies.

#FWPW #foodwastepreventionweek

 

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