Holiday Food Safety

As we enter the busy holiday season, the Iroquois County Public Health Department is promoting important food safety practices by encouraging residents to follow some simple tips to avoid foodborne illnesses, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 31 pathogens known to cause foodborne illness. Every year there are an estimated 48 million cases of illness, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths in the United States due to foodborne diseases. Symptoms can vary depending on the illness, but some common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. It is difficult to say with certainty which microbe is causing a given illness without laboratory testing.

The following simple precautions should always be followed by cooks and food service workers to reduce the possibility of anyone becoming sick:

Separate: Use a separate cutting board for cooked foods and raw foods and always wash them after use. Do not cut raw vegetables on the same cutting board as raw meat. Avoid cross contamination. Wash any utensil after preparing one food item before going on to the next item.

Clean: Always wash hands before touching any food. Wash hands and surfaces often during food preparation and afterward.

Cook: Make sure all meats are thoroughly cooked by using a meat thermometer: turkey, stuffing, and other poultry to 165°F; whole cut veal, beef, and lamb roasts to 145°F; and ground meats including pork and beef and egg dishes to 155°F.

Chill: Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours. The refrigerator should be maintained at 41°F or lower and the freezer should be at 0°F or lower. Keep hot foods hot, 135°F or hotter, and cold foods cold, 41°F or below. Never defrost food at room temperature. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in a cold-water bath, or in the microwave. When using a microwave, meat must be cooked immediately after. Marinate foods in the refrigerator.

For more information, visit www.usda.gov, www.cdc.gov, or www.fightbac.org. You can also contact Kate Mueller, Director of Environmental Health at 815-432-2483.