Holiday Food Safety

Don’t let that Grinchy food-borne Illnesses spoil your holidays

Each year hundreds of people contact the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health to report illnesses they attribute to recent restaurant meals. County health officials take these calls seriously but local eateries seldom are confirmed as the culprit.

Sometimes, office potlucks or other holiday celebrations among friends, co-workers and family can be the cause.

To reduce the chances of food poisoning, take the following precautions:

Wash hands before preparing, serving and eating food.

Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.

Thoroughly cook all raw meat, poultry and fish.

Don’t allow raw meat or contaminated utensils/surfaces to contact ready-to-eat foods.

Finally, when contemplating that third helping of stale leftovers, keep this mantra in mind: if in doubt, throw it out!

So, before you immediately blame that stomachache on your favorite restaurant, think about how long that white Styrofoam container full of leftovers sat in your car while you finished your holiday shopping. Also be wary of undercooked meat or room-temperature Who Pudding served up at your next holiday gathering. Don’t let this be a memorable holiday season for the wrong reason.

For more information on how to keep the holidays safe from food-borne illness check out some of our guidlelines on food safety below.

FOOD SAFETY AT POTLUCKS

FOOD TEMPERATURE CONTROL

GENERAL FOOD SAFETY GUIDELINES

HANDWASHING

PRODUCE CLEANING

TURKEY SAFETY

EASTER EGG SAFETY