Alert
Unwelcome Holiday Guests
December 21, 2006

When celebrating the holidays, be sure to keep an eye out for an uninvited guest - BAC!, as in bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. To help reduce the risk of food borne illness, Columbus Health Commissioner, Dr. Teresa C. Long, recommends four basic food safety tips:

CLEAN  -  wash hands and surfaces often
SEPARATE  -  don't cross-contaminate
COOK -  cook to proper temperatures
CHILL -  refrigerate promptly

Clean

• Always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after handling food. 
• Keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean. 
• Clean up kitchen surfaces with a clean cloth or paper towels.

Separate

• Always serve food on clean plates and 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

• Cook foods thoroughly to safe internal temperatures as measured with a food thermometer. 
• To kill bacteria, cook turkey and other poultry to 165ºF, ground beef and ground pork to 155ºF and fish, shellfish, lamb, other pork and beef to 145ºF. 
• Kept foods hot with chafing dishes, crock pots and warming trays of at least 140ºF. 

Chill

• Cold foods can be kept cold by placing dishes in bowls of ice, keeping them 40ºF or colder. 
• Don’t let foods sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours – and discard anything that has been left out longer.
• 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 165ºF when food is hot and steaming.

Add One More Step For The Holiday Season... CAUTION

• Make the grocery store your last stop.  Food left in the car can spoil very fast depending on the temperature.
• Remove groceries from your car as soon as you get home and refrigerate them immediately.

“The holiday season should be a time of joy and celebration with friends and loved ones,” says Dr. Teresa C. Long, health commissioner at Columbus Public Health.  “These simple food safety tips can help prevent a food-borne illness from ruining our holiday gatherings and events, allowing us all to enjoy everything the season has to offer.”

For More Information

Call Columbus Public Health at 614-645-7158

Columbus Public Health Food Safety Program

www.fightbac.org