Thanksgiving Food Safety

It's the start of another holiday season so to get it going in the best way possible let's talk about food.

We all love to enjoy a holiday feast but when food is not prepared with care the feast can cause foodborne illnesses that can be severe or life threatening to our elderly or frail residents.  According to the FDA there are 4 things to remember to prevent foodborne illness.

1.  Keep it CLEAN! - Make sure hands, utensils and prep surfaces are constantly kept clean.

2.  SEPARATE Foods! - Do not allow bacteria to cross contaminate from raw foods to prepared foods.

3.  COOK it Through! - Make sure cooked foods, especially meat and poultry, are cooked to the proper temperatures.  Turkey should be 165 degrees internal temperature.

4.  Don't Forget to CHILL! - Refrigerate leftovers quickly!  Bacteria grows fast at room temperature. 

One more tip.  Do not stuff your turkey.  Stuffing is the leading cause of foodborne illness on Thanksgiving.  Why?  This is classic cross contamination.  In most cases the stuffing does not reach 165 degrees so it's an ideal spot for bacteria to grow.  It's safer to cook your stuffing in a casserole dish.  Here's a recipe and a related article.

When the food is on the table have a glass of wine.

For more Food Safety info click these links!

1. Countdown to Thanksgiving 
2. Food Safety for Older Adults 
3. Don't Cross Contaminate 
4. Cooking for Groups 
5. Don't Forget the PIE! (Safety related - because it's not safe for the cook to forget the pie.  There could be a revolt.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!