Extension Communications 3614 Administrative Services Building Ames, Iowa 50011-3614 (515) 294-9915

11/7/03

For immediate release

Contacts:
Sam Beattie, Ph.D.,Food Science and Human Nutrition, (515) 294-3357, beatties@iastate.edu
Diane Nelson, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-3178, dinelson@iastate.edu

Five Critical Behaviors for Safely Handling Holiday Foods

AMES, Iowa--Keeping your holiday season focused on celebration and joy means avoiding food borne illness that often comes disguised as the flu symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and fever. The arrival of those unwanted guests can be prevented by practicing five critical behaviors when handling food, said Sam Beattie, Iowa State University Extension food science specialist.

"Failing to follow behavior number one is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in the country," Beattie said. "The number one behavior is the simple habit of proper handwashing using soap and water for 20 seconds after using the restroom, before cooking or eating, after petting animals, after changing diapers or any time you think your hands have become soiled. Nonbacteriocidal soap and warm water are very effective in removing bacteria and viruses from hands, especially when you wash the entire hand, including fingertips and beneath the fingernails."

Of the estimated 250 to 300 million yearly cases of acute gastroenteritis, more than 70 percent are caused by viruses and bacteria transmitted to foods by unclean hands. "Think about that the next time you watch someone touch the holiday meat tray with their fingers," said Beattie.

The second behavior that will help keep you free from food borne illness during the holidays is preventing cross contamination of ready-to-eat foods with juices from raw meats and poultry.

"Storing raw turkey and meats so that the juices do not drip onto salads and other foods that will not be cooked goes a long way to preventing illness," Beattie said. "Using hot soapy water and hot rinse water to clean and sanitize cutting boards, utensils and counters reduces the spread of illness-causing bacteria to other foods and hands."

Handling raw food properly is the third behavior that can reduce your chances of stomach distress during the holidays. Bacteria grow very slowly at refrigeration temperatures. Potentially hazardous foods should be refrigerated and not left at room temperature for more than two hours. Proper defrosting of foods also is important in preventing food borne illness.

"Defrost as many foods as possible in the refrigerator," Beattie said. "If time is short, then use cold water or the microwave to defrost foods. A turkey can be defrosted relatively quickly and safely in cold water baths as long as the water is changed about every half hour. But defrosting a turkey overnight on the countertop is an open invitation for stomach distress for you and your family."

Using a food thermometer and cooking food to the proper internal temperature is critical behavior number four. "By cooking foods to the proper temperature, you are ensuring that illness-causing bacteria are killed," Beattie said. "However, staph bacteria produce a very heat stable toxin that remains in the food even after the bacterium is dead. The simple act of cooking is not enough to remove all possibilities of illness if the food was mishandled earlier."

The proper internal temperature for turkeys and poultry is 180°F according to the United States Department of Agriculture. If the bird is stuffed, then the internal temperature of the turkey still must be 180°F and the stuffing should be at 165°F. Food safety experts recommend stuffing turkeys immediately before baking and not overstuffing the bird.

"When the stuffing is stuffed into the bird it may become contaminated. Thorough heating will ensure that it is safe by killing any illness causing bacteria. When stuffing is tightly packed into the turkey it will not cook as fast as the rest of the bird. So the turkey will get done but the contaminated stuffing will not," Beattie said.

The final critical behavior is to follow the two-hour rule and rapidly cool any leftovers to refrigeration temperatures.

"Many holiday foods support the rapid growth of bacteria," Beattie said. "The meat tray that sits by the office coffee pot all day long, the turkey that is left next to the refrigerator for several hours after dinner, the leftover pumpkin pie that is left on the counter overnight are all examples of temperature-abused foods that will support the rapid growth of illness-causing bacteria."

Getting those foods to refrigeration temperatures in less than two hours reduces the opportunity for illness-causing bacteria to grow. "Foods should not be pre-cooled on the countertop before placing in the refrigerator. Modern refrigerators are not ice boxes and are made to remove the heat of foods," Beattie said.

One way to help hasten the cooling of foods, especially when adding several leftovers to the refrigerator, is to package them in several smaller containers rather than one or two large containers. "Otherwise the interior of large quantities remain in the temperature range that allows bacterial growth," Beattie said. "Also try not to overfill your refrigerator. Air circulation is essential to quick cooling."

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