Location, Date - When celebrating the holidays, be sure to keep an eye out for an uninvited guest - BAC!, as in bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Many people like to invite friends and family over for a holiday feast so it is important to Fight BAC!® and practice safe food handling techniques when entertaining during the holiday season.

"Dinner parties and buffets are always very popular around the holidays," says [local expert]. "Foods that are left out for long periods can be an ideal setting for bacteria to multiply. During this busy time of year, people must remember to take special precautions to keep food safe."

There are four basic food safety steps to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness: CLEAN, wash hands and surfaces often; SEPARATE, don't cross-contaminate; COOK, cook to proper temperatures; and CHILL, refrigerate promptly. When preparing buffets and party platters, be sure to practice these steps along with the tips below for a safe and BAC!teria-free holiday festivity.

Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling food. Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean too. Clean up kitchen surfaces with a clean cloth or paper towels. Always serve food on clean plates - never put cooked food on plates that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood. Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood away from fruits and vegetables so juices will not cross-contaminate foods.

Cook foods thoroughly to safe internal temperatures as measured with a food thermometer.  (Roast beef to 145°F for medium rare and 160°F for medium; poultry to a minimum of 165°F; ground meats to 160°F and ground poultry to 165°F).

Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Hot foods can be kept hot with chafing dishes, crock pots and warming trays and should be 140°F or warmer. Cold foods can be kept cold by placing dishes in bowls of ice and should be 40°F or colder.

Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than one large tray. Replace empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that has already been used.

Don't let foods sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything left out for 2 hours or more.

Promptly refrigerate and store all leftovers in shallow containers. Most cooked dishes can keep for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat thoroughly to 165°F when food is hot and steaming.

For more information on practicing safe food handling and fighting foodborne bacteria during the holiday season, visit www.fightbac.org or call xxx/xxx-xxxx.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education unites industry associations, consumer and public health groups and the United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, to educate the public about safe food handling and preparation. The Partnership, a non-profit organization, is the creator and steward of the Fight BAC!® campaign, a food safety education program developed using scientifically based recommendations and resulting from an extensive consumer research process.  Fight BAC!® materials are fully accessible online at www.fightbac.org and utilized by consumers, teachers, dietitians, public health officials and extension agents across the United States.

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