Foodborne Diseases

Food is an important part of the holiday season, but holiday meals can take a turn for the worse if food safety isn’t on your menu. That’s because you might get a foodborne disease, which is sometimes called foodborne illness or food poisoning.
To help keep you and your loved ones healthy during the holidays and throughout the year, follow the four basic steps of food safety—Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
Quiz
Key Facts
- Foodborne disease is common, costly, and preventable.
- Germs that make you sick can survive on your hands, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, such as cutting boards and countertops.
- Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs to ready-to-eat foods if not kept separate.
- Bacteria that cause foodborne disease can multiply rapidly in the “Danger Zone” between 40°F and 140°F.
- People can spread germs to food and others, especially if they do not wash their hands thoroughly or if they prepare food while sick.
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Prevention Tips
- Follow the four basic steps of food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
- Wash your hands before, during, and after preparing food and before eating.
- Wash your utensils, cutting boards, and countertops with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item.
- Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods at the grocery store, in your refrigerator, and when preparing food.
- You can’t tell if food is “done” simply by looking at its color and texture. Use a food thermometer to make sure food is cooked to a safe internal temperature.
- Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or 1 hour if the food is exposed to temperatures of 90°F or warmer.
- The temperature in your refrigerator should be set at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.
- If possible, don’t prepare food for other people if you have diarrhea or have been vomiting.
- Be especially careful when preparing food for people who are more likely to get seriously ill from food poisoning—adults 65 years and older; children younger than 5 years; people with weakened immunity, such as those with HIV or receiving chemotherapy; and pregnant women.