Search Results for: food safety holidays

5 Top Food Safety Tips for the Holidays and Every Day

December 13, 2016

Mike Robach, Vice President, Corporate Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Cargill

Holiday parties are a staple this time of year. I’m in the midst of planning several for friends and family right now. With my job focused on preventing foodborne illnesses, I believe one of the worst things that could happen to any host is to spark an illness due to unsafe food handling techniques.

Tola Oyewole

Arming yourself with the knowledge to safely prepare your holiday spread doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming. In fact, it’s as simple as Cyber Monday shopping—it can be done from your couch, in your pajamas. Tips for safe food handling are at your fingertips when you visit sites such as the CDC or the USDA. You can even find specifics for the food you are preparing, from the safe handling of turkey to beef to eggs.

For quick reference, here are the top five tips I remind my family of every time we are in the kitchen preparing a meal:

1.Clean hands and surfaces often—Wash all utensils and preparation surfaces, including cutting boards, with hot soapy water. Use warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds to wash hands before and after handling food.

2. Separate foods—Don’t transfer bacteria from one food to another. Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood away from other foods that won’t be cooked. Remember to re-wash all surfaces—and your hands—after handling raw foods.

3. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables—Rub firm-skinned produce, like cucumbers and apples, under tap water. Rinse all produce before peeling, as microorganisms on the surface can be easily transferred with a peeler or knife blade. Pat dry with a paper towel.

cargill-stir-frying-veg

4. Cook to safe temperatures—A host’s best friend is their thermometer. Use it consistently to ensure foods reach a temperature that kills harmful bacteria that can cause illness. The Partnership for Food Safety Education has an excellent list of safe internal temperatures.

5. Know how long leftovers can last—Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible, in shallow containers, so they cool off more quickly. Shelf life of leftovers varies by food—but most are only good for three to four days. Use the USDA’s AskKaren service 24/7 via computer or mobile device to ask how long your specific leftover will remain fresh.

Check off this list, visit those websites and feel pride—and confidence—that your guests will leave with full stomachs and happy hearts, but not with a foodborne illness.

About the blogger

Mike Robach serves as vice president for corporate food safety, quality and regulatory affairs at Cargill. Mike has worked closely with the USDA and FDA regarding food safety policy, HACCP, and regulatory reform based on science. He has also worked with the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on harmonized animal health and food safety standards. He is the current Chairman of the Board of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

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Extension educator Jeannie Nichols publishes Easter and Passover food safety article

March 21, 2018

Spring is nearly here and with it comes some special holidays and holiday foods. Using a food thermometer when preparing meals is essential to serving safe food to our family and friends. Cooking food thoroughly is one of the four steps in preventing food borne illness according to the national “Fight BAC!™” campaign. The other three steps are: having clean hands and surfaces, separating raw and cooked foods and chilling leftovers promptly.

Here is some food safety advice from the USDA for foods typically served at spring holidays.

• EGGS: Hard-cooked eggs should be cooked thoroughly. Refrigerate eggs within two hours of cooking and use them within a week.

• DYEING AND HUNTING EGGS: To dye hard-cooked eggs, use a food-safe coloring and place them in the refrigerator within two hours. Hard-cooked eggs for an egg hunt must be prepared with care to prevent cracking the shells. If the shells crack, bacteria could contaminate the inside. The total time for hiding and hunting eggs should not be longer than two hours. The “found” eggs must be scrubbed with a brush or cloth under running water, dried and then re-refrigerated until eaten. You could also hide plastic eggs and then use the refrigerated decorated eggs to eat.

• BEEF AND LAMB are often served at spring dinners. Marinated meat must be kept in the refrigerator before cooking. Roasts, steaks, and chops should be cooked to at least 145°F in an oven set no lower than 325°F. Ground meats, on the other hand, should be cooked to 160°F.

• HAM: Both vacuum-packaged fully cooked and canned hams can be eaten cold just as they come from their packaging. To reheat them, set the oven no lower than 325°F and heat to an internal temperature of 140°F. Cook-before-eating hams must be baked in an oven set no lower than 325°F and reach 160°F before serving. Hams can also be safely cooked in a microwave oven, other countertop appliances and on the stove top.

• TURKEY OR CHICKEN: To defrost frozen poultry, place it in the refrigerator allowing one day for every four pounds. These birds can also be safely thawed by submerging the wrapped poultry in cold tap water, changing the water every 30 minutes. When roasting whole poultry, set the oven to no lower than 325°F and heat to an internal temperature of 165°F in the thigh as measured with a food thermometer. If stuffing whole poultry, make the dressing immediately before inserting it loosely in the cavity. The stuffing must reach 165°F before removing the bird from the oven.

• HANDLING LEFTOVERS: No perishable foods should stand at room temperature for more than two hours. Place leftovers in shallow containers, refrigerate, and use or freeze within three to four days. Thoroughly reheat leftovers to 165°F.

Using a thermometer lets you know that you are cooking your food thoroughly and at the same time you will know that it isn’t overcooked and dry!

Access the full article on The Daily Reporter website.

Jeannie Nichols is a food safety educator for Michigan State University Extension. She can be reached at nicho115@msu.edu or 517-439-9301.

Jeannie Nichols, Michigan State University Extension

Wake TV Video Collaboration is All About Food Safety

August 7, 2017

Public health educator Michelle Ricci and her team at the Wake County, NC Communicable Disease Program are always seeking new opportunities to deliver food safety messages to consumers in the county. They reached out to the county’s communications office about doing a food safety segment for Wake TV — a program that connects visitors and residents to news, services, interviews, and event information. Wake TV programming is available through their YouTube Channel.

The county’s communications office went a step further and offered to produce four short videos on each of the core home food safety practices: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. The four videos use information from FightBAC.org and rely on talented Wake County co-workers as “actors”. A colleague offered the use of the kitchen in her new apartment and the communication office’s digital media and design services staff filmed and produced the videos. A local Food Lion store manager graciously allowed the office to shoot footage for the videos in his store.

The videos aired on Wake TV at the beginning of August 2017. There are plans to promote the videos on Wake County’s website as part of their September Food Safety Education Month efforts. The videos will also be featured on social media, with special promotion planned for the winter holidays.

Please click on the thumbnail images to play videos.

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Safety in All Seasons

Spring Food Safety

Summer Food Safety

Fall Food Safety

Winter Food Safety

Spring Food Safety

Spring Clean Your Way to a Safer Kitchen

When you’re shaking off the winter with spring cleaning, it’s a great time to target harmful bacteria that can lurk on kitchen surfaces and even in your refrigerator. Get tips for a safer kitchen this spring.

Egg-stra Care for Spring Celebrations

Like meat, poultry, seafood and produce, eggs are perishable and need to be handled properly to prevent foodborne illness. Find out everything you need to know about egg safety for spring celebrations.

Summer Food Safety

Summer Grilling Graphics

Download easy and shareable graphics to remind consumers what temperatures the most popular grilling meats need to reach to be safe.

Summer Without Salmonella

Cases of foodborne illness spike in the summer. But with these flyers and graphics, we can spread the word about ways to reduce incidence of Salmonella infections.

Seven Super Steps to Safe Food in the Summer

During warm weather, it is especially important to take extra precautions and practice safe food handling when preparing perishable foods such as meat, poultry, seafood and egg products. Here are steps to protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness this summer.

On the Road Again…Traveling and Picnics

When eating outside while traveling or picnicking away from home, it’s important to take along the basic food safety necessities and follow these tips to reduce risk of foodborne illness.

Grill Master

Grilling calls for special food safety steps. Find out methods of grilling safely and being a true Grill Master.

Food Safety on the Move

You need to practice special food safety steps when you hit the road for cookouts and picnics. Read more to find out what you need to do to keep your food safe on the move.

Fall Food Safety

BAC! to School: Packing Lunches

Pack a safe lunch 101! Here are all the steps you need to make sure you’re packing your child a safe lunch every single day.

Have a Winning Football Season

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Halloween Food Safety How-To

The scariest monsters you might encounter this Halloween are the ones you can’t see, smell, or taste! They’re germs, and you need to learn to fight them off!

Take-Out Sanity

Proper handling of take-out foods and any leftovers is essential to reducing your family’s risk of foodborne illness.

Winter Food Safety

Thanksgiving

All the holiday food safety resources you need to keep your Thanksgiving feast food safe, from shopping in the grocery store to serving it up on the table.

Safe Holiday Meal Tips & Planning

From handling ingredients to cleaning your kitchen, these food safety resources keep your family safe from food poisoning over the holidays.

Recipes

Get food safe recipes your guests will love!

Kids Activities & Games

Keep your youngest kitchen helpers busy with fun and educational games and activities.

It’s a Home Baking Bonanza!

December 10, 2020

Not unlike a delicious yeast bread, consumer spending on home baking rises during the holiday season. Cookies, cakes, pies and breads are delicious traditional goodies for winter holiday celebrations.

According to NCSolutions, household spending on sweet and dessert items have been high throughout the COVID-19 pandemic — especially products used for baking. Household spending on confections, baked goods and baking supplies was up 9% in the period February 24 through September 30 when compared to the same period in 2019.*

Many Americans greatly enjoy baking at home. But not everyone is aware that mishandling raw batter or raw dough can be risky to their families’ health — especially for children! These important tips will help families keep holiday baking traditions safe.

Handle baking ingredients with care

Our favorite holiday cookies and other treats are made from scratch using raw ingredients. Two of these raw ingredients — raw flour and raw eggs — can contain harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Exposure to heat — baking — is a necessary step to make sure that foods made with raw flour and raw eggs are safe.

Eating raw dough or batter can be risky — especially for young children who have underdeveloped immune systems, putting them at risk for serious illness from bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter and others.

Always wash hands with soap and water after handling raw ingredients, and uncooked dough and batter.

To keep the holidays bright and happy, pay attention to these simple home handling steps for baking ingredients:

Raw eggs: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep eggs refrigerated at 40 °F or below until ready to use. Bake desserts containing eggs to a safe internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Wash hands with soap and water after handling raw eggs.
Raw flour: Follow package directions on baking mixes and other flour-containing products for correct cooking temperatures and times. Keep all raw foods, like eggs and flour and eggs, separate from ready-to eat foods. Remember, flour is a powder and spreads easily. Wash hands with soap and water after handling raw flour.

Handling these raw ingredients with care will help everyone stay healthy while baking at home.

Prevent cross-contamination while baking

Cross-contamination is how bacteria can be spread from hands and surfaces to your food.

Cut down on cross-contamination of harmful germs with these baking basics:

When baking at home, wash utensils, appliances and work surfaces with hot water and soap before and after they come in contact with raw dough, raw flour, and eggs or egg-containing foods.
Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after contact with raw dough and raw ingredients, like flour and eggs.
Your digital device is dirty. Try to keep hands off of your smartphone and tablet while you are cooking or baking. If you touch your device, wash your hands with soap and water.

Remember: Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling raw ingredients is the best way to reduce the spread of germs that can make you sick.

A healthy holiday home

With the current health threat of COVID-19, you want to make sure that no one in your household gets food poisoning this holiday season. Now is the time to model food safety behavior for your children and grandchildren. Let them know that baked cookies or desserts are well worth the wait!

Do you have a favorite family cookie recipe? It’s easy to turn that family favorite into a safe family recipe — and your kids can help! The Safe Recipe Activity teaches kids how to turn a basic recipe into a safe recipe. It’s a fun, educational activity that your entire family will enjoy.

These great cookie and dessert recipes already build food safety and hand hygiene prompts into the act of baking. Give these delicious sweets a try at home!

This season will be so much sweeter if we all stay healthy. From the Partnership for Food Safety Education, we wish you a happy and safe baking season!

Shawnte Loeri is the Communications Associate with the Partnership for Food Safety Education. She enjoys baking vegan desserts with her family and friends. Shawnte can be reached at sloeri@fightbac.org.

*NCSolutions CPG Insights Tracker Shows Sustained Consumer Interest in Confections, Baked Goods and Baking Supplies, Led by 38% Higher Sales of Baking Mixes