Throwing A Christmas Party At Home? Tips To Prevent Food Poisoning

Christmas Celebrations The year 2022 is coming to an end, the New Year is just around the corner. Excitement, anticipation, memories, reflections… this is the time of the year that elicits mixed emotions. But it is also the season of celebration and without good food, no celebration is complete. It's Christmas time! Are you planning to throw a Christmas party at home? The festive season is all about giving and sharing but make sure you’re not giving out foodborne illnesses. With frequent celebrations and parties, cases of food poisoning usually spike during the holiday season. So, you need to follow certain food safety measures to prevent spreading foodborne illnesses when throwing the Christmas party. Below are some food safety tips for the holidays, suggested by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):Keep Raw Meats Separately From Other Foods While storing food in the refrigerator, keep meat, chicken, turkey and seafood in containers or sealed plastic bags, and separately from all other foods. The juices from meats and seafood may contain harmful bacteria, which can spread onto other foods.Make Sure The Holiday Food Is Cooked Thoroughly While preparing food for your guests, make sure meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, and eggs are cooked thoroughly to kill germs and prevent food poisoning. Using a food thermometer is a good idea to ensure that your food is cooked to a safe internal temperature. After removing meat from the oven or grill, let it rest for 3 minutes before serving.Do not leave food in the danger zone The CDC refers the temperature between 40°F and 140°F as the danger zone, because bacteria can grow rapidly in this temperature range. Perishable food items like meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, eggs, cut fruit, cooked rice, and leftovers should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer within 2 hours. Set the temperature of your refrigerator at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.’Avoid tasting or eating raw dough or batter Do not taste raw dough and batter that has flour or eggs as it can contain harmful germs, such as E. coli and Salmonella. Also, do not let children play with raw dough.Wash your hands frequently Make sure you wash your hands with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food for your family or guests, as well as before eating food. Hand hygiene is one of the most important step you need to follow to prevent food poisoning.