The U.S. Department of Agriculture says food safety is important during the holiday party season. YouTube: Holiday Cooking A new TV feature is available on the USDA FTP site. *BROADCASTERS: VIDEO DOWNLOAD INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
FEATURE – USDA FOOD SAFETY TIPS FOR HOLIDAY MEALS
INTRO: The U.S. Department of Agriculture says food safety is important during the holiday party season. The USDA’s Bob Ellison has more.
YOU CAN HELP PREVENT FOOD BORNE ILLNESS FROM RUINING YOUR HOLIDAY GET TOGETHERS BY FOLLOWING ADVICE FROM THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE’S FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE.
Donna Karlsons, USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service: There are four easy steps consumers can take to help keep their families and friends safe from food borne illness. That’s clean, separate, cook, and chill. KEEP SURFACES AND HANDS CLEAN, SEPARATE RAW AND PREPARED FOOD. COOK FOOD TO SAFE INTERNAL TEMPERATURES AND USE A FOOD THERMOMETER TO CHECK. TURKEYS SHOULD BE COOKED TO A SAFE INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF ONE HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. Karlsons: If you stuff your turkey or if you cook your stuffing in a separate casserole dish, the stuffing needs to reach a safe internal temperature of a hundred sixty five degrees Fahrenheit. AND FOR THOSE LEFTOVERS... Karlsons: Divide food into shallow containers and get them into the refrigerator as soon as you can. AND IN THE LEAD UP TO THE HOLIDAY, REMEMBER TO STORE FOOD SAFELY. FOR TURKEYS THAT MEANS... Karlsons: A frozen turkey should stay in the freezer until you are ready to thaw it. If you’re buying a fresh turkey, purchase your turkey only one to two days in advance of cooking it. FOR MORE FOOD SAFETY ADVICE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE ASK KAREN APP FOR YOUR SMARTPHONE, GO ONLINE TO ASK KAREN DOT GOV OR CALL THE U-S-D-A’S MEAT AND POULTRY HOTLINE AT ONE-EIGHT-EIGHT-EIGHT-M-P HOTLINE. IN WASHINGTON FOR THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE I’M BOB ELLISON.
