Holiday
planning is kicking in to high gear. Friends and families will
soon be gathering to enjoy their favorite dishes that include
everything from cornbread dressing and pumpkin pie to that special
congealed salad made from Aunt Bethany's secret recipe. To keep
your holiday meal memorable for all the right reasons, food safety
should be at the top of the planning list.
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends following
these simple tips to avoid food borne illness during the holidays.
- Wash
your hands with soap and water
at these key times when you are likely to get and
spread germs:
- Before,
during, and after preparing food
- After
touching raw meat, raw eggs, or unwashed vegetables
- Before
eating or drinking
- Before
and after caring for someone who is sick
- Before
and after treating a cut or wound
- After
blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After
using the toilet
- After
changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- After
touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
- After
touching garbage.
- Wash
surfaces and utensils after each use. Wash
cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot, soapy
water especially after they've held raw meat, poultry, seafood, or
eggs. Wash dish cloths often in the hot cycle of your washing
machine.
- Wash
fruits and vegetables, but not meat, poultry, or store-bought
eggs.
- Cut
away any damaged or bruised areas, then rinse fruits and
vegetables under running water without soap, bleach, or
commercial produce washes.
- Scrub
firm produce like melons or cucumbers with a clean produce
brush.
- Dry
produce with a paper towel or clean cloth towel.
- Don't
wash meat, poultry, eggs, or bagged produce marked "pre-washed".
- Cook
food thoroughly. Meat,
poultry, seafood, and eggs can carry germs that cause food
poisoning. Use a food thermometer to ensure these foods have been
cooked to the safe
minimum internal temperature. Roasts, chops, steaks and
fresh ham should rest for 3 minutes after removing from the oven
or grill.
- Keep
food out of the danger zone. Bacteria
can grow rapidly at room temperature. After food is cooked, keep
hot food hot and cold food cold. Refrigerate
or freeze any perishable food within 2 hours. The temperature in
your refrigerator should be set at or below 40°F and the freezer
at or below 0°F.
- Use
pasteurized eggs for dishes containing raw eggs. Salmonella and
other harmful germs can live on both the outside and inside of
normal-looking eggs. Many holiday favorites contain raw eggs,
including eggnog, tiramisu, hollandaise sauce, and Caesar
dressing. Always use pasteurized eggs when making these and other
foods made with raw eggs.
- Do
not eat dough or batter. Dough
and batter made with flour or eggs can contain harmful germs, such
as E.
coli and Salmonella.
Do not taste or eat unpasteurized
dough or batter of
any kind, including those for cookies, cakes, pies, biscuits,
pancakes, tortillas, pizza, or crafts. Do not let children taste
raw dough or batter or play with dough at home or in restaurants.
- Keep
foods separated. Keep
meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods at
the grocery and in the refrigerator. Prevent juices from meat,
poultry, and seafood from dripping or leaking onto other foods by
keeping them in containers or sealed plastic bags. Store eggs in
their original carton in the main compartment of the refrigerator.
- Safely
thaw frozen meat. Thaw
meat in the in the refrigerator, in a sink of cold water that is
changed every 30 minutes, or in the microwave. Avoid thawing
foods on the counter. Frozen meat must thaw at a safe
temperature to prevent harmful germs from growing rapidly.
For more information on food
safety and food borne illnesses, visit FoodSafety.gov.
