Spring cleaning? Prioritize your fridge and pantry

Food-borne illnesses are common, sickening 48 million Americans each year, hospitalizing 128,000, and killing 3,000. One way to keep food safe is to clean the refrigerator and pantry regularly to cleanse surfaces and purge dated and possibly contaminated products. The process should include taking all items out of food storage areas, washing all surfaces, checking expiration dates, assessing products’ smell and appearance, marking dates packages are opened, and avoiding cross-contamination between raw and ready-made foods.