Thanksgiving Food Safety
The FDA’s 2009 Food Code set some food temperature guidelines for preparing and serving foods that favor bacterial growth — such as meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, dairy products, cut melon, garlic-in-oil mixtures, cooked rice and potatoes. Hot foods must be kept above 140 degrees F to prevent bacteria growth. Cold foods must be kept below 40 degrees F to prevent any possible foodborne illness. Foods exposed to temperatures outside of this range for four hours or more should be considered unsafe to eat. When dealing with leftovers, you should heat any leftover gravy to a boil. Leftover meats should be heated to at least 165 degrees F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. With a large family dinner, there is always the risk of leaving leftovers out for too long. Make sure you put what’s not being eaten back into the refrigerator quickly.
Holiday Food Safety Success Kit National Turkey Federation Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States” United States Department of Agriculture, "Let’s Talk Turkey" United States Department of Agriculture, "Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness" Illinois Department of Public Health, "Food Safety Fact Sheet - Critical Temperatures for Food Service" Partnership for Food Safety Education, "Thanksgiving Food Safety" Center for Food Safety, "Thanksgiving traditions for a changing climate" Partnership for Food Safety Education, "Least Wanted Foodborne Pathogens" Phys.org, "Stuffing the turkey and other Thanksgiving food-safety mistakes" Home Food Safety, "Most Common Foodborne Pathogens" Image Courtesy of David Bullock | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Stephanie Frey | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Donald Joski | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Szabolcs Szekeres | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Brent Reeves | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Ruben Gutierrez | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Marcin Pawinski | Dreamstime Image Courtesy of Kelpfish | Dreamstime