Food Safety During the Holidays

Don’t let bad food spoil your holidays

One of the best parts about the holidays is having friends and family over to visit. By following these basic food safety tips, you can help make sure they return home happy and healthy.

Holiday buffets

• Cook food thoroughly to a safe internal temperature and serve it promptly.
• Use warming trays or crock pots to keep hot foods hot (at least 60°C/140°F).
• Put serving trays on crushed ice to keep cold foods cold (4°C/40°F or below).
• Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than two hours.
• Use a clean platter or serving dish each time you re-stock the buffet.
• Provide serving spoons and tongs for every dish served — especially finger foods like vegetables, candies, chips and nuts.

Leftovers

• Refrigerate all leftovers within two hours in uncovered, shallow containers so they cool quickly. Leave the lid off or wrap loosely until the food is cooled to refrigerator temperature. Very hot items can first be cooled at room temperature, then refrigerated once they stop steaming.
• Store all leftovers separately, especially turkey meat, stuffing and gravy.
• Use refrigerated leftovers within two to three days or freeze right away for later use.
• Reheat solid leftovers, such as turkey and potatoes, to at least 74°C (165°F). Bring gravy to a rolling boil.
• If travelling with leftovers, wrap hot food in foil and heavy towels, or carry it in insulated containers to maintain a temperature of at least 60°C (140°F). Store cold foods in a cooler with ice or freezer packs to maintain a temperature of 4°C (40°F) or below.

Special holiday foods

Some of the most popular foods can be potential food safety risks. To reduce your risk, follow these tips:

Turkey

• Use a digital food thermometer to ensure the turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of at least 85ºC (185ºF). Take the temperature in the thickest part of the breast or thigh meat, making sure the thermometer doesn’t touch any bones.
• Cook stuffing separately from the turkey in the oven or on the stovetop to a minimum internal temperature of 74ºC (165ºF).
• If you choose to stuff your turkey, stuff it loosely just before roasting and remove all stuffing right after cooking.

Homemade eggnog

• If making eggnog at home, substitute raw eggs with pasteurized egg products.
• If raw eggs are used, heat the egg-milk mixture to at least 74°C (160°F), then refrigerate it right away in small, shallow containers so that it cools quickly.

Unpasteurized fruit juice and cider

• Check the product label to make sure the juice or cider has been pasteurized.
• If the juice or cider has not been pasteurized, bring it to a rolling boil and then cool before serving. Unpasteurized juice may contain bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli that can cause serious illness, especially in children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.