Super Bowl Food Safety Advice

Super Bowl Food Safety Advice:

• The USDA’s website mark’s Super Bowl Sunday as the second highest day of food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving.
• Avoiding Personal Fouls during your Super Bowl Party is essential to hosting a good event. Follow the basic food safety tips below to ensure that you don’t get benched for being a negligent host.

Preparation:

#1 Tip: Illegal use of hands
Prop: Soap, Purell, Sanitizing hand wipes
Dirty hands are one of the biggest culprits for spreading bacteria, and finger foods at parties are especially vulnerable.
Don’t prepare or handle food without first washing your own hands and encourage your party guests to do the same.
If you have younger party guests, introduce them to the Scrub Club where the Soaper Heroes can help them learn how to properly wash their hands.
Proper handwashing includes washing hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, then rinsing thoroughly and drying with a clean towel (or under an air dryer)

#2 Tip: Good defense is the best offense
Prop: Color coded cutting boards, sponge
Avoid Cross Contamination: Don't use the same platter and utensils for uncooked and cooked foods. Platters, utensils, cutting boards and even thermometers need to be thoroughly washed with hot soap and water after each use.
A recent NSF germ study revealed that many kitchens harbor more bacteria than the bathroom.
The item most frequently used to clean dishes and countertops - a sponge or dish rag - was actually the germiest place found in most homes. Because these items can pick up bacteria during the cleaning process, they need to be properly sanitized between uses and replaced frequently.
To avoid cross contamination, clean and sanitize all food preparation surfaces before and after handing foods.
Kitchen sinks, which were found to have the second highest concentration of germs in the NSF study, are often overlooked when cleaning the kitchen and need to be cleaned with a disinfecting cleaner 1 - 2 times per week.
Always wash any platters, cutting boards or utensils that have touched uncooked meat or poultry with hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly before using with any other food.

#3 Tip: False Start:
A false start in food safety occurs when partially and undercooked food is served
Prop: Buffalo wings, meat thermometer
Because internal temperature, not meat color, indicates doneness, it’s important to use a food thermometer to verify foods are cooked thoroughly.
Perishable foods such as meat and poultry need to be cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria.
· Steaks should be cooked to at least 145°F with a 3-minute rest time
· Hamburgers need to be cooked to 160°F.
· Whole or ground poultry should be cooked to a minimum of 165°F.
· Hot dishes that are prepared in advance can be stored in the refrigerator until game time. When your guests arrive, simply reheat the food to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Serving:

#4 Tip: Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot
Prop: Veggie sticks with creamy dip on ice, slow cooker with hot nacho dip, dialed thermometer
Since bacteria grow the quickest when temperatures are between 40 and 140 degrees F, keep perishable foods refrigerated or iced down until just before placing on a preheated grill.
Hot foods should be held at 140° F or warmer. Use chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays on the table to keep foods warm.

#5 Tip: Half Time Food Swap
Prop: cream-based dips and crackers/chips, sandwich tray
Do a "food swap" at half time -- remove anything perishable that's been sitting out since the beginning of the game and put out fresh food at half time.
Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter, and replace empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dirty platter.

#6 Tip: Play Defense
Prop: chips/salsa, jerky
Consider serving more non-perishable foods, i.e. veggie trays (sans dip), chips and salsa (instead of nacho cheese), whole fruits (sliced need to be kept cold); jerky (most dried meats don't require refrigeration)
Clean Up:

#7 Tip: Throw out leftovers
Prop: n/a
Any foods - hot or cold - that have been sitting out at room temperature for more than two hours can easily allow bacteria to multiply and cause illness. Keep track of how long foods have been sitting out -- if it’s perishable and has been sitting out for more than two hours, play it safe and throw it out.