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

December 18, 1998

Contact: Don Brown, 785-296-1529

Keep Holiday Foods Safe for Friends and Family

"The prevention of foodborne illness is a primary service of public health," according to Gary Mitchell, Secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Mitchell has recently announced the department's Food Safety Initiative to help reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. The plan includes the formation of partnerships with other agencies and organizations to promote safe food handling practices. Other components of Mitchell's initiative include the adoption of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 1997 Food Code and the implementation of FDA's Voluntary Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards. Steve Paige, Director of the KDHE Bureau of Consumer and Local Health, says, "People are more aware of the dangers of foodborne illness than they used to be, but often don't understand the factors that contribute to foodborne illness."

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

1. Inadequate cooking or heating,
2. Not cooling food safely,
3. Not cleaning surfaces and hands.

Cooking

Sometimes our parents baked turkeys or hams 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 the food in. 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 the food with a meat thermometer to maintain a safe temperature of 140F or above while stored 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, ham or roast one night and then "finish" it the next day. The food may not reach a temperature high enough to destroy bacteria. Any bacteria that survives the initial cooking could then multiply while the food cools.

Adding stuffing to the turkey will increase the required cooking time. If you must stuff, use only cooked ingredients in the stuffing. Saute vegetables, use 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 a minimum of 165 degrees.

Proper cooling and leftovers

A big ham or turkey means lots of good dishes from the leftovers, but care needs to be taken in cooling the foods. First, be sure the food 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. Foods should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.

When cooling, do not refrigerate a cooked turkey or ham whole -- it could take too long to cool to a safe temperature. Before refrigerating, carve all the meat from the bones. 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 a minimum 165F.

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, fork or cutting board for raw vegetables, or doesn't wash their hands after handling raw meats and handles ready-to-eat foods. Using the same, uncleaned cutting board will cross-contaminate other products that come in contact with it later in the day. Clean and sanitize everything that comes in contact with raw meat products. Keeping the kitchen and work surfaces clean will reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

Bacteria are everywhere, but a few types especially like to crash parties.

Clostridium perftingens and Listeria monocytogenes frequent people's hands and are commonly found in foods. Potentially dangerous organisms also come from our own skin. Staphylococcus auerus ("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, pathogenic bacteria cannot be smelled or tasted. These bacteria are easily killed by adequate cooking temperatures.

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 kept either cold or hot.

Heed 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.

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.