For many of us, Halloween signals the start of the holiday season. Choosing costumes and planning themed parties with friends and family is part of the fun. But no celebration feels complete without food — platters of finger foods, sandwiches and pastries that keep everyone happily snacking as we show off our costumes. As Halloween festivities roll into Thanksgiving feasts and New Year’s Eve parties, few of us want to dampen the holiday spirit by thinking about foodborne illnesses. Yet, one in six Americans gets food poisoning each year.
The biggest holiday threat is not a burnt meal — it’s the germs that can tag along with our food. Raw or undercooked poultry, for instance, is a common source of salmonella and campylobacter, two bacteria that can cause diarrheal illness and spread easily from meats to other foods if not kept separate. If not kept clean, hands, cutting boards and knives can also spread these germs in the kitchen.
Cleanliness is an essential infection prevention tool, and incorporating a few extra steps can help keep germs off our food:
- Washing hands before cooking; after handling eggs or raw meat; after touching pets, their habitats (bedding, cages, etc.) and belongings (toys and bowls); after using the restroom; and before and after touching your nose or mouth (both havens for germs).
- Keeping fingernails short and clean, since dirt and germs can hide under them. Be aware that nail polish flakes or fake nail chips could contaminate the food.
- Keeping the food prep area clean and away from pets.
A good rule of thumb is to follow the four steps of food safety: Clean, separate, cook, chill. Wash hands, utensils and cooking surfaces often. Keep raw meat separate from other foods. Cook foods to safe temperatures. Refrigerate and freeze foods properly.
Rinsing produce is a good idea. However, rinsing eggs, meat, or seafood splashes harmful bacteria and spreads germs rather than removing them. You don’t need to rinse these, and they can go straight from the package and into the pot or dish for cooking. Germs get destroyed when you cook foods to adequate temperatures. If the recipe calls for drying the meat, place it on a rack in the refrigerator to air-dry overnight, or pat dry with disposable paper towels.
Bacteria grow fastest at temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, a range often called the danger zone. That’s why the two-hour rule is critical: Once meat and other perishable foods are cooked, they shouldn’t sit out for more than two hours. In conditions above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, this critical window is one hour.
Clostridium perfringens bacteria — often associated with holiday favorites like turkey, roast beef and gravy — are all around us, even in dust. Persisting in our environment in the form of hardy, inert spores, these bacteria cause about a million foodborne illnesses in the U.S. each year. The risk increases in settings where large groups of people are served and food is held within the danger zone, enabling these spores to start growing, producing toxins that cause us problems.
Preventing this is simple: Keep hot foods hot (above 140 degrees Fahrenheit) with warming trays and chafing dishes; keep cold foods cold (40 degrees Fahrenheit or below) with insulated coolers and refrigerators. If traveling with food, pack cold dishes in a cooler with ice packs and keep hot dishes insulated. Or cook ahead of time, store food safely, and reheat upon arrival. Just confirm that your host can provide oven space.
About a quarter of people carry staphylococcus aureus bacteria on their skin and in their noses. Without hand hygiene, these bacteria can contaminate foods like pastries, puddings, sliced meats and sandwiches and produce toxins. Boiling the food may kill the bacteria, but it does not destroy these toxins. The only solution is prevention: Use clean hands or single-use gloves, deli-tissues, tongs or spatulas to handle ready-to-eat-foods. Never prep food with open wounds (cover with waterproof bandage and use gloves). Finally, make sure to refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Food poisoning can be serious for the elderly, children under 5, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems. Making food safety a habit can keep everyone safe and together at the table — a worthy tradition at any time. For more information, visit foodsafety.gov.
Bindu Mayi is a professor of immunology and microbiology at Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine.
