Food Safety

We talk a lot about food safety at holiday time.  This graphic was developed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education and the National Turkey Federation this year just before Thanksgiving. All of the information is still very pertinent for Christmas celebrations. Actually, the section with tips for shopping applies all year long and is just as important to follow all year long.

It is important to remember to practice safe food handling techniques while we prepare holiday meals. Often we are serving the elderly, very young, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems. These people are the most susceptible to any food borne illness.

Hand washing, refrigeration, and clean surfaces are important considerations.  We should take care not to cross contaminate surfaces—no raw fruits or vegetables on the same cutting board that held raw meat.

It is so easy to lose track of how long those leftovers have been stored in the refrigerator.  When we have company in the house it is easy for things to travel to the back of the refrigerator or to be put in places in the refrigerator that we would not typically store them. Labeling leftovers with a date they should be discarded would be a good habit for the New Year.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

More Posts - Website