Food-Handling Procedures

• To avoid cross-contamination, always wash hands with hot soapy water before and after handling raw meat. Also wash utensils, counters, cutting boards and other surfaces that raw meat has touched.
• Keep raw meat and meat juices separate from ready-to-eat foods, both in the refrigerator and during preparation.
• Don't place cooked foods on a board, tray, or platter that held raw meat. For example, do not carve a cooked roast on the same board used to prepare the raw roast. When transporting food to and from the grill, do not place cooked food on the same plate that carried the raw meat.

NOTE: Take special care when preparing ground veal. Always follow the guidelines listed below:

• Do not eat rare ground veal. Because surface bacteria are transferred to the interior during grinding, it is risky to eat raw or rare ground veal.
• Cook ground veal to medium (160°F) doneness -- until the center is no longer pink and the juices show no pink color. Use a meat thermometer to accurately determine the doneness of patties and meatloaf.
• Defrost frozen ground veal in the refrigerator to prevent bacterial growth.
• Cook ground veal as soon as possible after defrosting.
• Cook ground veal without interruption. Partial cooking may promote bacterial growth before cooking is complete.