Making the grade for food safety at college

September 22, 2005

When students pack up for college, they make sure to take along the basics - television, laptop, and cell phone.

Many students will also arrive at school with a microwave oven, tabletop grill, mini-fridge and toaster oven in tow. Most students, however, don't know there are food safety considerations that need to be taken into account when cooking with these appliances.

College students face many challenges, and often eat whenever and wherever it is convenient. But when it comes to safely preparing meals, many college kids simply don't know what it takes to make the grade in food safety, and far too many could end up with a foodborne illness.

They have lots of questions and here are a few:

Q. Several slices of pizza have been left out overnight. Is the pizza still safe to eat?

A. No. Perishable food should never be away from refrigeration more than two hours. This is true even if there are no meat products on the pizza. Foodborne bacteria that may be present on these foods grow fastest at temperatures between 40 and 140ºF and can double in number every 20 minutes.


Q. Our dorm has a kitchen with a microwave on each floor. When I microwave the food according to the package's instructions, it is still partly frozen. Why doesn't it get hot enough?

A. In a large building like a dorm, electrical equipment such as computers, toaster ovens, hair dryers, and irons compete for current and reduce the electrical wattage of a microwave. A community oven that has been used just before you do will cook more slowly than a cold oven.



Q. I frequently send "care packages" to my son at college. What other foods besides cookies, crackers, and candy can I mail?

A. Shelf-stable, microwavable entrees are one option. These foods are not frozen and will stay fresh without refrigeration for about 18 months. Canned meats and fish as well as dried meat and poultry, such as beef and turkey jerky, are safe to mail. Bacteria can't grow in foods preserved by removing moisture.

Q. My daughter's college is only a four-hour drive away so she comes home often. How can I safely pack leftovers for her to take back to school?

A. For a four-hour drive, food must be handled properly to keep it safe from spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Leftovers should be divided into shallow containers and cooled in the refrigerator prior to the trip. Pack the food in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice or frozen gel packs. The temperature inside these containers should be at or below 40ºF. Return the food to the refrigerator as soon as possible.

Here are some food safety hints to share with your college student:

*Leftover pizza, fried chicken, Chinese food and other take-out foods should be refrigerated as soon as possible. Perishable food should never be out of refrigeration more than two hours. At room temperatures over 90ºF, discard after one hour.

*Keep the refrigerator set at 40ºF or lower. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers. Wrap or cover the food. Cooked meat or poultry and leftover pizza is safe for 3 to 4 days while luncheon meats and egg, tuna, and macaroni salads are safe for up to 3 to 5 days. Foods stored longer may begin to spoil or become unsafe to eat. Never taste a food to determine if it has spoiled.


Always use a food thermometer to check internal temperatures. Cook hamburger and other ground meats to an internal temperature of 160ºF and ground poultry to 165ºF. Use a thermometer when reheating foods to ensure they reach 165ºF.

If you would like more information, contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHOTLINE or visit their Web site at

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