KING COUNTY, WA - Whether your meals this holiday season are strictly vegetarian or include meat, fish or poultry, any meal could be the cause of food borne illness if the food is not prepared, served and stored safely.

"Food is an important part of our holiday traditions. When preparing meals, we'll greatly reduce the risk of food borne illnesses if we take certain precautions, like regularly washing our hands as well as heating and cooling food properly," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County.

Moreover, many people choose to eat out on Thanksgiving and during the holidays. To get the inspection reports of nearly 10,000 permitted food establishments in King County, please visit Public Health's Restaurant Inspection webpages: www.metrokc.gov/health/foodsfty/inspections.htm

Safe food handling and cooking tips:

1. Wash your hands:
   • Wash your hands with warm water and soap to get rid of the germs on your hands that can get into food and make people sick.
   • Wash your hands before touching cooking utensils and before touching food that will not be cooked.
   • Wash your hands after going to the bathroom, after touching raw meat, fish or poultry, and after taking out the garbage, sneezing, coughing or smoking.
     
     
2. Keep foods safe from cross contamination:
   • Avoid cross contamination, which occurs when germs from raw or unclean foods get onto foods that will not be cooked or reheated before eating.
   • Put raw poultry, meat and fish in the "meat" drawer of the refrigerator, or put them on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator so the juices don't drip on foods that won't be cooked. If your refrigerator has fruit and vegetable drawers under the bottom shelf, put your raw poultry, meat or fish in a container on the bottom shelf.
   • Never store foods that will not be cooked before serving in the same container as raw poultry, meat or fish.
   • Use a hard cutting surface with no splits or holes in it. Germs can grow in them.
   • Wash, rinse and sanitize the cutting surface and all the utensils (like knives) every time you finish cutting raw poultry, meat, and fish, as well as melons. Household bleach is a good sanitizer. Use 1 teaspoon for each gallon of cool water.
     
     
3. Heat foods to their proper temperature:
   • In order to kill all bacteria, cook turkey and other poultry to at least 165º F, ground beef to 155º F, pork to 150º F, and fish, shellfish, lamb and other beef to 140º F.
   • Move foods quickly through the "danger zone," the temperature range where germs can grow most quickly and easily. Cold foods should be kept cold (lower than 45º F), and hot foods should be kept hot (above 140º F).
     
     
4. Cool and reheat foods properly:
   • Cool food properly by placing it in shallow pans in the refrigerator uncovered. Not cooling properly is the most common cause of food borne illness, since germs grow quickly and toxins can form in food temperatures between 45° and 140° F.
   • If you are taking prepared food to share with others, be certain that you keep it hot (above 140° F) or cold (45° F or below) during the trip and until it is served.
   • Do not cover hot food until it has cooled to 45º F or below.
   • Reheating of food needs to be done as quickly as possible (within 1 hour).
   • If food has been sitting at room temperature for up to 2 hours, refrigerate it or reheat it. If food has been sitting out for longer than 2 hours, throw it out.
   • Taking leftovers home can be delicious or dangerous. Be sure the food has been cooled properly, then kept cold on the journey home.
     
     
5. Vegetables and fruit
   • Wash fruits and vegetables under cold running water, and scrub, or, for fragile vegetables like greens, shake vigorously in water.
   • Scrub the exterior of melons before cutting them, and then keep them cold at 45° F or below.
   • Keep "starchy foods" like cooked beans (legumes), rice, potatoes and pasta out of the "danger zone" where germs will grow quickly. Keep them hot at 140° F or above, or cold at 45° F or below. Be sure to refrigerate within 2 hours after the meal.
   • Cool starchy foods in shallow pans uncovered in the refrigerator and cover after they cool to 45° F or below.
     
   • Keep tofu and other plant protein variations hot (140° F or above) or cold (45° F or below).
   • Sprouts must be kept at 45° F or below until used.

For additional information on food safety, please visit:

• Public Health's Food Protection Program: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/foodsfty
  
  
• Cooking Turkey Fact Sheet: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/foodsfty/turkey.htm
  
  
• Handwashing Fact Sheet: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/foodsfty/videos