Lesley Price, RD, CD
Football
season is here and so are the game day celebrations. I think I just heard a “GO
HAWKS”! Football is one of the many great reasons to gather with friends and family
and share delicious food. To help you plan out your game day festivities, here
are some food safety tips.


Transporting to the party:
When transporting hot food make sure your destination is within a two
hour window. Pack all cold foods in ice and make sure it stays 40 degrees or
less.
At the party:
Reheat all hot food to 165 degrees prior to serving and keep hot foods
above 135 degrees. Keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold is the best way to
keep bacteria that could make you sick from growing in your food. Hot food
should be kept above 135 degrees, while cold food should be kept at 41 degrees
or below. If you cannot keep food hot or cold, then make sure it is eaten within
two hours, or placed back into a refrigerator. Food left out for more than two
hours should be thrown away. One helpful tip is to only dish up a portion of
the food, keeping the rest either hot or cold and re-stocking as needed. You
can also use ice to keep things cold but the ice needs to be at least at
the same level as the top of the food.
And last of
all, no double dipping. Not only does it
give off the “ick factor”, it can spread illness to those you love.
By following
this advice you can take memories of football game victories (hopefully) home,
not food-borne illnesses. For more
information about food safety go to https://www.foodsafety.gov/
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