Holiday Food Safety Bloopers
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline talked to about 350 people on Thanksgiving Day about thawing, preparing and storing turkey. Most people were right on track and just needed some reassuring about handling the big bird. Some people, however, called about situations that could be disastrous – or even deadly.
Even though these problems involved turkey, the same food safety principles apply if you’re cooking ham, duck, goose or any another holiday meat.
Don’t Leave the Turkey Out for More Than Two Hours!
One concerned caller put a turkey into the oven at 5:00 p.m. and didn’t turn the oven on until 2:00 a.m. Some asked about thawing a frozen turkey on the counter for several hours. Others wondered about leaving cooked turkey on the buffet all day long.
Unfortunately, we had to tell the concerned caller that she should throw the turkey away. That’s because it spent more than two hours in The Danger Zone (temperature range of 40 to 140 ° F). And we told other callers to never thaw a turkey on the counter or leave cooked turkey out for more than two hours.
The bottom line: It’s not safe to leave raw or cooked turkey (or any perishable food) at room temperature for more than two hours. Otherwise, you’re creating the perfect conditions for dangerous bacteria to multiply rapidly.
Don’t Roast the Turkey Overnight!
This year, a number of callers asked about roasting a turkey overnight at 200 to 250° F. We explained that this cooking method is just not safe. USDA does not recommend cooking meat and poultry at oven temperatures lower than 325 °F. Anything below that runs the risk of leaving turkey in The Danger Zone for too long.
Don’t Buy Your Fresh Turkey Too Early!
Many callers made the mistake of buying their fresh holiday turkeys too early. USDA recommends buying a fresh turkey no more than two days before you plan to cook it. Also, be sure to plan ahead when thawing a frozen turkey so it is not thawed too far in advance.
Don’t Forget the Food Thermometer!
We talked with many cooks who said they used visual clues (such as color) to determine whether the turkey was done. The problem is that you can’t tell by looking!
A whole turkey is cooked safely when it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. To check the turkey, insert the food thermometer in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
For more information on cooking turkey or other holiday meats, check out these resources:
- Fact sheets
- Videos
If you have any holiday food safety questions, feel free to contact us at the Hotline (1-888-674-6854 toll-free) or online at AskKaren.gov.
Holiday Parties: Spread Cheer, Not Foodborne Illness
It’s that time of year when the parties never seem to end. They’re great occasions for exchanging good will and gifts – but not the dangerous bacteria that cause foodborne illness.
Here are some of the unwanted guests who may try to crash your party:
- Staphylococcus aureus: This bacteria is commonly found on our skin and in our noses and throats. If it gets into food, it multiplies rapidly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness within 1-6 hours. Thorough cooking kills the bacteria but doesn’t get rid of the toxin. Staph can be lurking in party foods that are made by hand and require no additional cooking, such as meat or potato salads, cream pies, and sandwich fillings.
- Clostridium perfringens: It’s nicknamed the “cafeteria germ” because it tends to hang out in foods served in quantity and left out at room temperature. Meats, meat products, and gravy are the foods most often associated with illness caused by this bacteria.
- Listeria monocytogenes: Listeria is unlike many other germs because it can grow even in the cold temperature of the refrigerator. That’s why it may be found in those cold foods often served at buffets, such as deli meats and smoked salmon. Listeria is especially harmful to pregnant women: they are 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get the infection, and the consequences can be deadly for the unborn baby.
Here’s what you can do to prevent these and other foodborne bacteria from taking the cheer out of your holidays:
Be NICE | Don’t be NAUGHTY |
Wash your hands before and after handling food. | Don’t let bacteria from your hands contaminate your party food. |
Serve food on clean plates. | Never let juices from raw meat, poultry, and seafood come into contact with cooked food. |
Replace serving plates often. | Avoid putting fresh food on serving plates that have been sitting out at room temperature. |
Use a food thermometer and the Minimum Cooking Temperatures chart to make sure that food is cooked safely. | Don’t guess – you can’t tell for sure whether food is safe by looking at it. Use a food thermometer to be sure. |
Keep hot foods hot (140 °F or above) by using slow cookers, chafing dishes, or warming trays OR use small serving containers and replace them often. | Never let hot foods sit at room temperature for more than two hours. |
Keep cold foods by nesting cold (40 °F or below) in dishes in bowls of ice OR use small serving trays and replace them often. | Never let cold foods sit at room temperature for more than two hours. |
Store foods in shallow containers to refrigerate or freeze them. | Avoid storing foods in large containers that don’t promote rapid, even cooling of food. |
For more information, check out these resources:
- Fact sheet: Holiday or Party Buffets
- Press release: Serve Up Food Safety This Holiday Season
- Video: Be Food Safe for Holiday Buffets
If you have any questions about holiday parties and food safety, feel free to contact us at the Hotline (1-888-674-6854 toll-free) or online at AskKaren.gov.
What's Up with the FDA and Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages?
In November, the FDA issued warning letters to four companies that make alcoholic beverages with added caffeine, sometimes referred to as “caffeinated alcoholic beverages.” The letters warned the companies that FDA considers the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages to be an “unsafe food additive.” A food or beverage that contains an unsafe food additive is considered adulterated and, thus, illegal.
Since the letters were issued, we have received a number of questions about caffeinated alcoholic beverages. Here are answers to three questions we hear frequently:
Q. I thought that caffeine was safe. Why is the FDA saying that it’s an “unsafe food additive?”
A. The lawfulness of a food ingredient is determined in part by how it’s used. If an ingredient hasn’t been approved by FDA for a certain use, the ingredient can be used only if it’s “generally recognized as safe” for that purpose. For example, caffeine is “generally recognized as safe” when it’s used in cola beverages below a certain level. But FDA has not approved caffeine for use in alcoholic beverages, and FDA doesn’t consider the use of caffeine in the products at issue to be “generally recognized as safe.”
Q. Why would caffeine be considered OK in soft drinks but not in these products?
A. Since November 2009, FDA has been looking at whether caffeine added to an alcoholic beverage is lawful. Based on the available scientific research, FDA is concerned about these beverages for several reasons:
- People drinking these beverages may consume more alcohol—and become more intoxicated—than they realize. That’s because the caffeine masks some of the sensory cues that people use to tell how intoxicated they are (how drunk they feel).
- People drinking these beverages may think that the caffeine counteracts all the effects of alcohol, but that’s not true. Caffeine does not affect the way the body processes alcohol; it doesn’t “sober you up.” You may feel more alert, but the alcohol still affects your physical coordination and reaction time.
- People drinking these beverages may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors that may lead to hazardous and life threatening situations. Research suggests that people who drink these beverages area at greater risk of alcohol-related consequences, including alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, and riding with a driver who is under the influence of alcohol.
Q. What about alcoholic beverages that include coffee, such as coffee-based liqueurs?
A. The letters FDA sent last month are not directed at coffee-based liqueurs or similar beverages that contain an ingredient with naturally occurring caffeine. Unlike the products identified in the warning letters, these beverages don’t include caffeine added as a separate ingredient.
For more information on the concerns about caffeinated alcoholic beverages, check these resources:
- Consumer Update: Serious Concerns over Alcoholic Beverages with Added Caffeine
- Fact Sheet: Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages (CDC)
- Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages (FDA)