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Food Safety for Holiday Meals

Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill! These four simple steps can help prevent foodborne ilness at your holiday meal.

Keep utensils and cooking surfaces clean and separate raw meats from other foods. Cook meats to the recommended internal temperature to ensure they are fully cooked and safe to eat. Chill raw foods and cold items so that no bacteria grows. If you leave food out, discard after two hours sitting at room temperature.

Summary

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage can prevent foodborne illness. There are four basic steps to food safety at home:

Clean - always wash your fruits and vegetables, hands, counters, and cooking utensils.
Separate - keep raw foods to themselves. Germs can spread from one food to another.
Cook - foods need to get hot and stay hot. Heat kills germs.
Chill - put fresh food in the refrigerator right away.

In the grocery store, avoid cans that are bulging or jars that have cracks or loose lids. Check packages to be sure food hasn't reached its expiration date.

United States Department of Agriculture

Start Here

4 Basic Steps to Food Safety at Home (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF
Are You Storing Food Safely? (Food and Drug Administration)Also in Spanish
Be Food Safe: Protect Yourself from Food Poisoning (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Food Safety (Nemours Foundation)
Food Safety When Preparing Holiday Meals(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service) - PDFAlso in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Food Safety for Warmer Weather (National Institutes of Health)Also in Spanish

Related Issues

5 Tips for Using Your Microwave Oven Safely (Food and Drug Administration)Also in Spanish
Animal Cloning and Food Safety (Food and Drug Administration)
Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish
Fires and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
Freezing and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
High Altitude Cooking and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
How Safe Are Color Additives? (Food and Drug Administration)
Keep Food and Water Safe After a Disaster or Power Outage(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish
Keeping Food Safe during an Emergency (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)Also in Spanish
Kitchen Thermometers (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)Also in Spanish
Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts (Food and Drug Administration)
Refrigeration and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)Also in Spanish
Safe Eats - Eating Out and Bringing In (Food and Drug Administration)
To Eat or Not to Eat: Decorative Products on Foods Can Be Unsafe(Food and Drug Administration)Also in Spanish

Specifics

Barbecue Basics: Tips to Prevent Foodborne Illness (Food and Drug Administration)
Color of Meat and Poultry (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
Food Safety and Raw Milk (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Fresh and Frozen Seafood: Selecting and Serving It Safely (Food and Drug Administration)Also in Spanish
Ground Beef and Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)Also in Spanish
Perchlorate Questions and Answers (Food and Drug Administration)
Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart(Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
Say No to Raw Dough! (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish
Shelf-Stable Food Safety (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)
Tips to Prevent Illness from Clostridium Perfringens (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish

Games

Food Detectives: Fight Bac (Partnership for Food Safety Education)Also in Spanish
Food Safety Mobile Game (Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service)