Meal preparation & food safety

Cook and store food safely: wash hands and surfaces, keep raw meat away from other food, cook thoroughly, refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, and when in doubt throw it out. Follow the care plan's diet — it's a medical instruction.

1. 1Wash hands before and during prep; wash cutting boards and counters after raw meat or eggs.
2. 2Separate: different cutting board (or wash between) for raw meat vs. produce; store raw meat on the fridge's bottom shelf.
3. 3Cook thoroughly — older adults get much sicker from foodborne illness. No raw/runny eggs, undercooked meat, or unpasteurized products for high-risk clients.
4. 4Cool leftovers fast: label with the date, refrigerate within 2 hours, use within 3–4 days.
5. 5Check the fridge weekly: toss expired or moldy food (tell the client/family what and why), report if there's consistently no edible food in the house — that's a reportable welfare concern.
6. 6Follow the prescribed diet exactly: low-salt, diabetic, texture-modified, fluid-restricted. Requests to break it → serve per plan and report the request.