Keep Your Thanksgiving Meal Safe from Foodborne Illness
For
Immediate Release: November 19, 2008
Contact: Richard Sanchez (714) 433-6473
(Santa Ana) - As the Thanksgiving holiday draws near, consumers are encouraged to pay special attention to the handling and preparation of foods to help prevent foodborne illness from ruining a holiday meal. Traditional Thanksgiving food items such as poultry, dressings and gravy are delicious holiday standards, but can also be sources where bacteria can thrive.
“Taking a few simple precautionary steps during the preparation of your Thanksgiving meal will help keep foodborne illness from ruining your holiday celebration,” said Dr. Eric Handler, County Health Officer.
Bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli are the primary causes of foodborne illness in the United States. These types of bacteria grow rapidly on foods that are moist, rich in protein and held at temperatures between 41°F and 135°F.
To keep bacteria and foodborne illness from your holiday meals, follow these simple preparation guidelines.
-
Thaw frozen turkey inside the refrigerator on the bottom shelf in its original wrapping. Make sure that other foods are above the thawing turkey to prevent contamination. Thawing a moderate sized turkey in this manner may take one to three days. If time does not permit a gradual thaw, place the frozen unwrapped turkey in a clean shallow container and allow cool running water to flow across the surface with sufficient velocity to flush loose particles down the drain.
-
Wash your hands, utensils, cutting boards and other items that have been in contact with raw meat or poultry with soap and hot water to prevent contaminating other foods or re-contaminating the cooked turkey.
-
Set the oven temperature to 325°F or higher.
-
Use a meat thermometer to make sure that meat and poultry are cooked all the way through. Place the thermometer into the thickest section of meat or poultry.
-
Cook the whole turkey to an internal temperature of at least 165°F. The recommended cooking time for your turkey can be obtained from instructions on the poultry wrapper, a cookbook or you can call the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) 674-6854. The Partnership for Food Safety Education also offers turkey roasting information online at
www.fightbac.org/content/view/199/10.
-
When serving food buffet style, the key is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Hot foods can be kept hot with chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays or foods can be kept cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice.
-
Don’t let turkey, dressing or gravy sit at room temperature for more than two hours. These foods are particularly high in protein and moisture and should be kept above 135°F or below 41°F at all times. Promptly refrigerate or freeze leftovers in covered shallow containers.
-
Use leftovers within 4 days, except stuffing and gravy which should be used within 2 days. Reheat leftovers to at least 165°F prior to serving
The Orange County Health Care Agency’s Food Protection Program participates in the inspection of retail and wholesale food facilities to prevent foodborne illness. It also promotes the safe and sanitary preparation and service of foods. For more information about the program or to obtain guidelines for safe food preparation call (714) 433-6000 or visit
www.ocfoodinfo.com.
# # # |
