It is the time of year when there are lots of holiday gatherings where food is served. As we graze our way through potlucks, office parties, family gatherings and meals with friends, it’s good to keep some food safety tips in mind at this time of year. Many experts agree you can greatly decrease your risk of getting sick from food (or making others sick with your culinary creations) by paying attention to some food rules in the following four areas: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill.
Clean: The first rule of food preparation is to keep things clean by washing your hands, your utensils, all surfaces that come in contact with food and some (but not all) foods thoroughly. (Avoid rinsing or washing raw meat and poultry, though, as that tends to just spread bacteria around to other surfaces.)
Separate: Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you need to let your food mingle! Avoid cross-contamination by keeping things that need to be cooked (like raw eggs, meat, poultry, seafood and their juices) completely separate from foods that won’t be cooked and may be eaten raw (such as fruits and salad vegetables). Consider completely separate utensils, preparation surfaces and storage areas for food that needs to be cooked and foods that may be eaten raw.
Cook: Anything worth cooking is worth cooking well! Make sure you are cooking food so that it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill harmful bacteria. Don’t guess by how food looks; use a food thermometer.
Chill: When you are done eating and ready to chill out – chill the food too! It is very important to refrigerate foods quickly because harmful bacteria grow very rapidly at room temperature. And when you are perusing the leftovers at a later date, don’t even taste food that looks or smells questionable. When in doubt, throw it out!
The above advice was summarized from a consumer publication from the FDA. Please see the full publication for a more complete set of food safety guidelines to keep you and those you share food with healthier this holiday season. Access that publication at:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/UCM191812.pdf
Other helpful food safety-related links include:
MSU Healthwise Knowledgebase Article: Food Poisoning and Safe Food Handling
Gateway to government-related sources of food safety-related information