State And Local Health Officials

Urge Safe Holiday Food Prep, Handling

By John Voket

The Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Newtown Health District are reminding the public to keep food safety in mind to stay healthy for the remainder of the holiday season.

While one of the biggest foodie celebrations, Thanksgiving, has passed, there is still plenty of entertaining to do — and plenty of opportunities for guests to go home with a food-borne illness, according to Newtown’s food safety specialist Suzette LeBlanc. Especially if that holiday entertaining includes cheeses, creamy desserts, meat and poultry — or any food that has to be left out for guests to pick on for more than an hour.

When purchasing and preparing food items, Ms LeBlanc advises consumers and hosts to pay particularly close attention to the basic tenets of food safety and good hygiene.

Holiday buffets, party trays, or even poorly stored turkey, beef, or pork dishes can be the culprit if improperly stored; such food items provide breeding grounds for bacterial contamination, which causes illness that affects upwards of 76 million people each year.

“You have to start by taking great care in managing how your frozen food is defrosted,” she told The Newtown Bee this week. “Never defrost on the countertop or at room temperature. All defrosting of meats should be done in the fridge, below 45 degrees, and over a period of days.”

Ms LeBlanc said even high heat cooking will not kill all harmful bacteria if proper defrosting methods are not followed. She also warns that many meat products still do not provide basic minimum cooking requirements on the package.

“I use a food thermometer on the job, and at home,” Ms LeBlanc said, adding that a basic circular food temperature gauge can be obtained for just a few dollars at any department or grocery store.

“The general rule to follow is: poultry should show a constant reading at 165 degrees, pork should be 145 degrees, and beef 130 degrees for 15 seconds once the thermometer is stuck into the deepest part of the meat.”

The Newtown food safety specialist says that the major cause of food-borne illness she hears about likely comes from food that is prepared correctly, but left out too long for picking.

“Hot food should stay hot — at least 140 degrees, whether in a chafing dish with Sterno, a crock pot, or on a freestanding heating pad,” she said. “The risk increases when you have a large number of guests attending or popping in over a significant length of time, which often means food is left out for longer periods of time.”

Ms LeBlanc also focused on some of the more popular party foods that should be kept cold.

“I know soft cheeses taste better at room temperature, but the longer it stands out, the higher the risk,” she said, adding that mozzarella and brie, as well as spreads and dips, should be in a container nested in a bowl of ice to ensure the safest temperature consistency.

“As a rule, I say cold food should be maintained at 41 degrees or less,” she said.

Another misunderstood source of widespread food borne illness is serving utensils.

“You want to be sure there are enough plates and utensils so guests don’t feel they have to use the same plate more than one time,” Ms LeBlanc said. “I know it’s hard to regulate at a household party, but a person who has food residue on his plate, who goes back and spoons out more food a half hour later may be contaminating the whole remaining dish from bacteria picked up from the used plate.”

And on the way home, Ms LeBlanc said to be sure hot foods you take as leftovers either stay hot, or are transported in a cooler and refrigerated immediately upon arrival at home, especially if you have more than an hour of anticipated travel time.

Holiday Food Handling Safety Tips

Here are a few food safety tips from the Connecticut Department of Health that will help guests avoid getting a food-borne illness during the holiday season:

*Wash hands — Wash hands for 20 seconds with soap and water and dry your hands with a paper towel following restroom use, before preparing foods, after handling raw meat, and before eating. Clean hands will help prevent the spread of potentially illness-causing microorganisms.

*Clean — Wash and sanitize food-contact surfaces often. To sanitize utensils, immerse for 30 seconds in clean, hot water at 170 degrees, or immerse for at least one minute in a clean solution containing at least 50 parts per million of chlorine (one teaspoon of 5.25 percent household bleach per gallon of water). Bacteria can spread and get onto cutting boards, knives, and countertops. Wash fruits and vegetables before preparing.

*Thaw properly — Proper methods for thawing a turkey include: thawing in a refrigerator with a temperature of 41 degrees or less (allow 3-4 days for thawing); placing under cool running water at a temperature of 75 degrees or less; or thawing in a microwave and cooking the turkey immediately.

*Take temperatures — Cook your turkey at 325 degrees until its internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees. Cooked, hot foods should be kept at 140 degrees or warmer. Be sure to use a food thermometer to check temperatures. When cooking a stuffed turkey, be sure that the turkey, as well as the stuffing inside of it, reaches at least 165 degrees. Even if the turkey itself reaches 165 degrees, the stuffing inside may take longer to reach 165 degrees, the temperature safe enough to kill any bacteria that may be present.

*Stuffing — Prepare your stuffing and turkey just before cooking. Using a cold stuffing may make it more difficult to reach the safe temperature of 165 degrees. Stuff the turkey loosely and use ¾ of a cup of stuffing per pound of turkey. Use a moist stuffing rather than a dry stuffing because heat destroys bacteria better in a moist environment.

*Keep it cold — Cold foods should be kept at 41 degrees or lower. After the turkey is served, immediately slice and refrigerate on shallow platters. Use refrigerated turkey and stuffing within three to four days. Use gravy within one to two days. If freezing leftovers, use within two to six months for best quality.

*Transport safely — Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.

*Reheat — Leftover turkey and stuffing should be stored separately in shallow dishes or platters. Rapidly reheat leftovers to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees.

*Proper hand washing is the most effective way to keep food and guests safe.

For more information and free literature about food safety, contact the Food Protection Program at 860-509-7297.