How to Use the

The Safe Recipe Style Guide, created by food safety experts and honed by leading food journalists, is designed for use by recipe writers for all published materials, including cookbooks, social media, web sites, blog entries, newspapers and magazines, and industry promotional materials. 

The approved wording in the Safe Recipe Style Guide reads as follows:

Cook until internal temperature reaches XX (fill in the blank and include chart with specific foods) on food thermometer.

Cook until internal temperature reaches XX (fill in the blank and include chart with specific foods) on food thermometer.

Wash hands with soap and water. (Include this at beginning of recipe and after each touch of raw meats, poultry, seafood or eggs).

Wash hands with soap and water. (Include this at beginning of recipe and after each touch of raw meats, poultry, seafood or eggs).

Wash (insert cutting board, counter, utensil, serving plate) after touching raw meats, poultry, seafood or eggs).

Do not reuse marinades used on raw foods.

Do not rinse raw poultry or meat.

Wash (insert cutting board, counter, utensil, serving plate) after touching raw meats, poultry, seafood or eggs).

Do not reuse marinades used on raw foods.

Do not rinse raw poultry or meat.

Gently rub produce under cold running water.

Scrub firm produce with a clean vegetable brush under running water.

Gently rub produce under cold running water.

Scrub firm produce with a clean vegetable brush under running water.

While use of the wording in recipes should be as close to the above as possible, the Safe Recipe Style Guide is intended to be flexible to allow for use in recipes as needed.

Here are some tips for using the Safe Recipe Style Guide in recipes:

• When giving instructions on the amount of time food should stay in the oven, or on the stovetop, grill or other cooking device, use the guideline “Cook until internal temperature reaches XX (fill in the blank as applicable to specific food) on food thermometer.”
• Start recipes with the guideline, “Wash hands with soap and water.” Include this verbiage after each touch of raw meats, raw poultry, raw seafood, or eggs.
• When instructing recipe user to place raw meats, poultry, seafood or eggs on a surface such as a countertop, serving plate or cutting board, include the instruction to wash the surface after the touch with the raw ingredient.
• If the recipe contains a marinade that is used to baste or marinate raw or cooking meat, poultry or seafood, add the line, “Do not reuse marinades used on raw foods.”
• When describing preparation process for raw meats or poultry, include the guideline, “Do not rinse raw poultry or meat.”
• When using any form of produce in a recipe, include the following relevant guideline in the instructions with the introduction of the ingredient: “Gently rub produce under cold running water,” or “Scrub firm produce with a clean vegetable brush under running water.”

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