If food is not handled correctly during meal preparation, your family could become sick. Eating spoiled food can make you sick. Food can be spoiled even if it looks and smells all right. Germs cause food to go bad. You can't see, smell, or feel germs. It takes one to three days to get sick from eating spoiled food. If you get sick, get help. Call your doctor or your local health department.

There are four easy ways to keep food from going bad: Clean, Keep apart, Cook and Chill
Clean: Wash hands and counters often. Germs can spread in the kitchen. They can get onto cutting boards, counters, sponges, forks, spoons, and knives.
Here's how to fight germs: Wash your hands with hot, soapy water. Do this before touching food. Do it after using the bathroom, changing diapers, or touching pets. Wash your cutting boards, counters, dishes, forks, spoons, and knives. Use hot, soapy water. Do this after working with each food item.
Use paper towels to clean up kitchen counters and tables. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of the washing machine or in hot soapy water.