During the holidays, being the perfect host or hostess is not just about a beautiful table or delicious food. Above all, it’s about keeping your family and friends food safe, because you don’t want to be remembered as the one who sent his or her guests to the hospital during the holidays.
Food-borne illnesses are a growing problem in the U.S., with one in six Americans becoming sick from them every year. Out of those, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. Stories of E. coli in spinach, salmonella in peanut butter and contaminated cantaloupe are enough to make anyone shudder.
Here are seven ways to keep things safe this season and beyond.
- Shop with your eyes wide open. This means reading labels, becoming knowledgeable about product ingredients, and knowing how meats and dairy products should be stored to avoid them going bad. Also, avoid any cans or packages that are dented, opened, or leaking, and make sure to check expiration dates and avoid buying perishables too close to expiration.
- Pick your produce wisely. The most important rule is to “Never, ever, ever ‘sample’ unwashed’ produce at the store or farmer’s market. Often items like berries are picked and packed right in the field and are not even rinsed. They could be seething with bacteria and potential contaminants. Produce travels an average of 1,500 miles and passes through over 20 sets of hands from field to fork, so try to buy produce grown closer to home, as that may decrease the risk for contamination.
- Remember the CSCC’s of food safety from the USDA. Clean food as well as everything coming into contact with food before and after use, from hands to knives to cutting boards. Separate uncooked meat from everything else to avoid cross-contamination, and don’t replace cooked meat onto the platter that held it raw. Cook meat, eggs, and poultry thoroughly, using a meat thermometer to check temperature. Chill leftovers promptly, as bacteria grows quickly at room temperature.
- Give your fruits and veggies a real wash. Along with pesticides, many fruits and vegetables are also coated in wax to help them hold up to long journeys. Pesticides, wax, and dirt should be thoroughly scrubbed or soaked off produce, including organic produce. Opinions differ on the best way to clean fruits and veggies, but at least do something to clean off harmful pesticides. I recommend Eat Cleaner, a fruit and vegetable wash that comes in a wipe and spray form. You have to think, what else do we “clean” with water alone? Just remember these four simple steps: Spray, soak, rinse, and dry.
- Don’t let your fowl go foul. Poultry is the number-one cause of salmonella. Make sure to allow for 24 hours for each four to five pounds of turkey and defrost it in the refrigerator in a self-contained tray, covered, so it doesn’t contaminate the rest of the fridge as it begins to release liquid. Clean birds carefully to remove this, as not to splash water, which could transmit salmonella and other pathogens. Rewash hands after touching uncooked meat and, keep uncooked poultry, meat, and seafood wrapped in plastic bags or in a container in the fridge to prevent leakage of juices and liquids. Also know that you can’t judge a bird by its color. Cook turkey to an internal temperature of at least 165F, measuring with a meat thermometer at the thickest point of the breast, without touching the bone. The thigh should also be measured.
- Select your seafood safely. “Avoid purchasing pre-cooked seafood if it is in a case next to uncooked seafood,” says Ibrahim. “The potential for cross contamination is too high. If you must, ask your handler to put on a fresh pair of gloves.” Trust your nose, and reject any seafood that smells suspicious. Also, choose wild-caught seafood over farm raised. A big surge of the available seafood is being raised in close quarters that can spread disease and bacteria more rampantly than line-caught counterparts.
- Chill out. Heat can become a breeding ground for bacteria where they can grow exponentially in just minutes. When it comes to perishables like meat, dairy, and fresh fruits and veggies, if you’re not taking a direct route home from the grocery, tote your own insulated grocery bags or coolers to help keep your bundles from going bad. If you’re planning a picnic or barbecue away from home, make sure to pack plenty of ice. Perishable food should never sit out for more than two hours, and if the temperature is above 90F, one hour is the max. Don’t let food horror stories make you shun the supermarket. Knowing correct selection and handling tips goes a long way in preventing food borne illnesses, so you can be confident that you’re protecting your family’s plate.
