How to Keep Holiday Meals Safe: Virginia Shares Key Food Safety Advice

RICHMOND, Va. — With the holiday season underway, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is reminding residents that the most important ingredient in any festive recipe is food safety.Whether preparing dinner for a small family or a large gathering,… The post How to Keep Holiday Meals Safe: Virginia Shares Key Food Safety Advice appeared first on TV Delmarva Channel 33.

RICHMOND, Va. — With the holiday season underway, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is reminding residents that the most important ingredient in any festive recipe is food safety.
Whether preparing dinner for a small family or a large gathering, VDACS urges Virginians to follow proper food handling, cooking, and storage practices. Holiday meals often span several hours or include food prepared in advance, which can increase the risk of foodborne illness if safety guidelines are not followed. The department has outlined several essential food safety tips for the season:
Wash hands and surfaces frequently. Use hot, soapy water before and after handling food. Cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops should be thoroughly cleaned after contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
Keep raw and cooked foods separate. Prevent cross-contamination by using different cutting boards and utensils for raw meat. Never reuse plates or tools that touched raw items when serving cooked food.
Cook food to the right temperatures. A meat thermometer should be used to verify safe internal temperatures. Whole cuts of beef, lamb, veal, and pork should reach at least 145°F. Ground meats and egg dishes should reach 160°F. Poultry, casseroles, stuffing, and leftovers should be heated to 165°F. For those cooking a frozen turkey, allow enough time to thaw it completely before cooking to ensure even and thorough heating.
Refrigerate perishable food promptly. Cold foods should be kept chilled during serving, either in the refrigerator or by nesting in bowls of ice. Leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours. Store them in shallow containers with space between each to allow proper air circulation inside the refrigerator.
When in doubt, throw it out. If you are unsure how long a dish has been left at room temperature, it is safest to discard it. Bacteria can grow quickly when food remains in unsafe temperature ranges.
Avoid consuming raw eggs. Recipes that include raw eggs, such as homemade eggnog or cookie dough, can pose health risks. Consider using pasteurized egg products or commercial alternatives that are safe to consume without cooking.
For more information on holiday food safety, preparation, and storage, visit www.foodsafety.gov.

The post How to Keep Holiday Meals Safe: Virginia Shares Key Food Safety Advice appeared first on TV Delmarva Channel 33.