Holiday Food Safety

Food and fun are packed into holiday celebrations for many people this time of year. How many times after a holiday gathering have you felt a little "out-of-sorts" and blamed it on eating too much?

While overindulging can cause an upset stomach, so can eating food that was improperly handled. Keep the fun in your festivities by following these practices to help prevent foodborne illness based on recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

HOLIDAY BUFFETS — Prepare a number of smaller platters and dishes ahead of time. Keeping perishable foods more than two hours in the "danger zone" of 40 degrees F to 140 degrees F is a leading cause of foodborne illness. Hold hot foods at 140 degrees F or higher and cold foods at 40 degrees F or lower until serving time.

At events such as buffets where food is set out for guests, avoid adding fresh foods to foods that have been setting out. Serve smaller bowls of food and set out fresh food bowls as needed. For added safety, put foods on ice or over a heat source to keep them out of the temperature "danger zone".

LATE ARRIVING GUESTS — Avoid letting any cooked food, meat or poultry remain in the danger zone for more than two hours.

If you have hot foods in the oven, you may be able to hold them safely until your guests arrive, advises the USDA. Put a meat thermometer in the thickest part of your roast or poultry, or center of your casserole. Adjust the oven temperature so that the food stays an internal temperature of 140 degrees F or above.

An oven temperature of 200 to 250 degrees F should be sufficient to hold the food. To prevent dryness, cover the dishes or wrap with aluminum foil. You should be able to hold food at least an hour without a loss of quality.

TRAVELING WITH FOOD — When traveling with food or assigning foods to guests to bring, consider the type of food and the distance traveled. Cold foods should not be off refrigeration over two hours, including the time they are at room temperature during serving. Hot foods must be kept hot.

People traveling a long distance might bring non-perishables such as rolls, breads, and cookies. Those traveling an hour or less might more safely bring perishable foods. Wrap hot foods in foil and towels to keep warm. Place cold foods in a cooler with ice or gel packs. Plan to serve foods shortly after guests arrive.

REFRIGERATE THAT PUMPKIN PIE — A pumpkin pie is a form of custard and like custard must be kept in the refrigerator. Foods that contain eggs, milk, and a high moisture content, like custard and pumpkin pie, must be kept refrigerated. Bacteria love to grow in these types of foods.

AVOID EATING COOKIE DOUGH — Uncooked eggs in cookie dough may contain harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella. This advice is especially important to children, whose immune systems aren’t fully developed.