Celebrating the holidays with delicious food is something most people enjoy this time of year. But the merriment can change to misery if food is not prepared safely and causes illness.
According to the Chester County Health Department, healthy people who are exposed to food-borne illness may get sick for a day or two, but foodborne illness can be severe and even life-threatening to certain groups of people: older adults; infants and young children; pregnant women; people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or any condition that weakens their immune system; people who take medicines that suppress the immune system.
Although preventing foodborne illnesses is a high priority for the Chester County Health Department, consumers have a role to play as well, especially when it comes to safe food handling practices in the home.
The Health Department recommends practicing four basic food safety measures when preparing food:
Clean – Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm, soapy water. Use hot, soapy water to clean cooking surfaces and utensils after preparing each food item. Rinse fruits and vegetables.
Separate – Keep raw eggs, meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from foods that won’t be cooked.
Cook – Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill harmful bacteria. Visit the Chester County Health Department’s website for a safe cooking temperature chart.
Chill – Refrigerate foods quickly because harmful bacteria grow rapidly at room temperature. See the cold food storage chart on our website.
For more food safety information, visit www.chesco.org/foodsafety.
