KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR Gary R. Mitchell, Secretary

November 13, 1997

Contact: Steve Paige, 785-296-0189

or Don Brown, 785-296-1529

Keep Holiday Foods Safe for Friends and Family

At this time of turkeys, hams, parties, hors d'oeuvres, and cider, it's time to think about how to keep our friends and family not only well-fed but free of food poisoning. About one-fourth of foodborne illnesses­illness contracted from contaminated food­happens in the home.

People are more aware of the dangers of foodborne illness than they used to be, according to Steve Paige, director of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Environmental Health Services, but often they don't understand two important facts:

• organisms that cause food poisoning are just about everywhere, and
• food poisoning, or foodborne illness, can happen at home as easily as in a restaurant.

Many of the microorganisms that cause food poisoning are common in the environment, said Paige. Also, people may contaminate food during any stage of food processing or handling, including just before eating. Paige emphasized that people can reduce risks at home by understanding the most common food-handling mistakes:

1. Cooking or heating food inadequately,

2. Not cooling food safely,

3. Not cleaning food, surfaces, or hands.

Cooking

Sometimes our parents baked turkeys all night at 200 degrees. But overnight cooking of meat at a low temperature isn't safe. Don't cook meat or poultry in an oven set lower than 325F, and pre-heat the oven before putting in the turkey. At a 200F cooking temperature, meat remains in the "Danger Zone" (between 40 and 140F) where bacteria multiply rapidly and can form toxins.

If the ham or turkey is done too early, don't cover it with aluminum foil and leave it on the counter. Instead, to keep it safe, cover it and keep it in a 200F oven until ready to serve. Check ham with a meat thermometer to make sure it doesn't go below an internal temperature of 140F while in the oven.

Be sure to cook foods thoroughly to these temperatures:

• fresh roast beef, at least 145F for medium rare and 160F for medium doneness
• whole poultry, 180F
• poultry breasts and thighs, 170F
• ground turkey and poultry, 165F
• all other meat, fish, and ground red meats, 160F.

Don't partially cook a turkey or roast one night and then "finish" it the next day; bacteria will multiply overnight when the food cools below cooking temperature.

To stuff or not to stuff?

Paige said cooks should use only cooked ingredients in stuffing. "Saute vegetables, using only cooked meats or oysters and pasteurized egg products, not raw eggs. Do not stuff the turkey the night before roasting; do it immediately before putting the turkey in a pre-heated oven." Stuffing should not be tight, and cooks should use a meat thermometer on the stuffing, making sure it reaches 165 degrees.

Proper cooling and leftovers

A big turkey means lots of good turkey dishes from the leftovers, but care needs to be taken in cooling the turkey. First, be sure the turkey, or any other main dish, does not stay out more than two hours after it is prepared. A recent survey showed one out of three consumers let roasted chicken and turkey cool completely before refrigerating. Food should be left out a maximum of two hours, never more.

When cooling, do not refrigerate a cooked turkey whole­it could take too long to cool to a safe temperature. Before refrigerating, carve all the meat from the bones; it's okay to leave the drumsticks, thighs and wings intact. Divide cooked foods into small shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving. This is very important to ensure rapid, even cooling and quick reheating. When reheating, reheat the food to 165F.

Keep it clean

Only half the people in a recent survey knew they should wash a cutting board with soap and water between cutting raw meat and chopping vegetables. Also, one-fourth said they washed and cleaned food to avoid contamination, but no one mentioned washing hands. Cross-contamination occurs when a cook handles raw meat, then uses the same knife or fork or cutting board for raw vegetables or doesn't wash hands or the preparation surface thoroughly after handling raw meats. Clean and sanitize anything that came in contact with the raw turkey; using the same, unsterilized cutting board for your turkey sandwich later in the day invites disaster.

Keep the kitchen, dishes and utensils clean. Always serve food on clean plates­not ones that previously held raw meat and poultry; otherwise, bacteria from raw meat juices can contaminate the food to be served.

Cider time tips

Fall is apple cider time, but make sure that cider is pasteurized. You can't always tell from the label; when foodborne illness was related to unpasteurized apple juice last year, consumers could not tell from the label which products were pasteurized. Because of inconsistencies in labeling, unpasteurized juice products might be drunk by infants. Also, products that contain honey do not include a warning about potential risk for infant botulism.

Buffets can be a breeding ground

Bacteria are everywhere, but a few types especially like to crash parties. Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perftingens and Listeria monocytogenes frequent people's hands and steam tables. Potentially dangerous organisms also come from our own skin. Staphylococcus ("staph") bacteria are found in infected cuts and pimples, and in our noses and throats and are spread by unclean hands. And unlike microorganisms that cause food to spoil, harmful or pathogenic bacteria cannot be smelled or tasted.

Put food away. Bacteria that cause foodborne illness can contaminate safely cooked food left out at room temperature. Scientists have found that after two hours at room temperature, bacteria on foods can multiply to high enough levels to cause illness. Some holiday hosts leave food out all afternoon and into the evening. This is dangerous for everyone, but children, pregnant women, elderly people, and persons with chronic illness stand a greater chance of getting sick from food poisoning. Everyone should avoid perishable foods which are not either kept cold or hot.

The two-hour rule. Foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything that has been out two hours or more. Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter. Keep the rest of the food hot in the oven (set at 200 - 250F) or cold in the refrigerator until serving time. This way foods will be held at a safe temperature for a longer period of time.

Keep hot foods hot (above 140F) in a chafing dish, slow cooker, or on warming trays. Just because it was cooked correctly in the first place doesn't keep it safe once it is left out several hours.

Keep cold foods cold (below 40F) nestled in bowls of ice or replaced often from the refrigerator.

Replace empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food in it. Many people's hands may have been taking food from the dish, which has also been sitting out at room temperature.

Sweets and breads. Breads, cookies, cakes, and fruit pies are safe to leave out, unless they have a perishable filling or frosting. Refrigerate soft pies, however, such as pumpkin or custard pies and cheesecake. Foods made with eggs and milk must first be baked to at least 160F, then refrigerated. When these baked products are left at room temperature, conditions are ripe for bacteria to multiply.

"By following these simple but essential rules for food preparation around the holidays, and every day, we can make companionship times healthy times as well," said Paige.