From FoodSafety.gov

Super Bowl Sunday is a great American tradition, and a great way to bring together the three Fs: football, friends, and food. Super Bowl Sunday is also the second biggest day to consume food in the United States, only after Thanksgiving.

One of the most popular ways to celebrate is by inviting family and friends to enjoy a buffet. But if cold foods are left out of refrigeration and hot foods sit cooling for too long, you may be leaving the door open for some other, unwanted, guests – bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

Certain foods left at room temperature for more than two hours enter the so called “Danger Zone,” between 40°F and 140°F. The “Danger Zone” is the perfect environment for harmful bacteria to grow and multiply. Because the game itself takes about four hours and Super Bowl parties can last for several hours longer it’s important to pay special attention to this on game day.

A lot of food combined with a lot of people who are focused on the big game creates a significant risk of food poisoning – so there’s no better time to pullout the food safety playbook and Check Your Steps.

Always wash your hands before and after handling food.

Your jersey may have grass stains from the impromptu game in the backyard, but be sure to keep your kitchen, dishes and utensils clean by washing them with hot, soapy water.

Keep raw meat and poultry apart from cooked foods. 

Avoid an offsides penalty. Always serve food on clean plates — not any that previously held raw meat and poultry. Bacteria which may have been present in raw meat juices can cross- contaminate the cooked food to be served.

Cook foods thoroughly to safe minimum internal temperatures. 

Use a food thermometer to make sure that meat and poultry are safely cooked.

Divide cooked foods into shallow containers to store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving. This encourages rapid, even cooling. Reheat hot foods to 165 °F after halftime.

Arrange and serve food on several small platters rather than on one large platter. Keep the rest of the food hot in the oven (set at 200-250 °F) or cold in the refrigerator until serving time. This way, foods will be held at a safe temperature for a longer period of time.

Replace empty platters rather than adding fresh food to a dish that already had food in it. Many people’s hands may have been taking food from the dish, which has also been sitting out at room temperature.

Keep cold foods at 40 °F or colder. 

Keep foods cold by nesting dishes in bowls of ice. Otherwise, use small serving trays and replace them.

Remember to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

For more information, view our Parties and Large Groups general information page.

If you have other food safety questions, please feel free to contact us via our Hotline (1-888-674-6854 toll-free) or online at AskKaren.gov (English or Spanish). Please continue the discussion on our Facebook page.

Enjoy the game!

By Maribel Alonso, Technical Information Specialist, USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline

These days, it seems everyone knows (or is) a foodie, a self-proclaimed guru of all things edible. To add to the myriad of “foodie gift guides” shopping sites have created this month, the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline has put together a list of inexpensive kitchen essentials, most of which are small enough to fit inside a stocking or gourmet gift basket. The best part: these gadgets ensure the giftee will return the gesture with perfectly and safely roasted (or braised, smoked, flambéed…) treats this holiday season and year-round.

Here is our “top 5” foodie gift list:

1. Food Thermometer(s). There is a food thermometer to fit every budget, preferred cooking method, and technological aptitude, and every foodie should have at least one. A food thermometer is the only implement that can tell if food is cooked to a safe temperature to destroy illness-causing bacteria, which is a guest your holiday gathering can certainly do without. Thermometers can be purchased at the grocery, the hardware store or specialty cooking stores; this Kitchen Thermometers fact sheet can help you choose the right one.
2. A Timer. Time and temperature are a dynamic duo when it comes to controlling bacteria for safe and successful meals. Besides letting the chef know when to check for doneness with their new food thermometer, a kitchen timer or a watch also can keep track of how long perishables have been left at room temperature. Bacteria grow fast between 40˚F and 140˚F (known as the “Danger Zone”), and perishable items should be refrigerated, reheated or thrown out within two hours of being held in this temperature range. Do you know How Temperatures Affect Food?
3. Cutting Boards. These might not fit into a stocking unless they’re the flexible kind, but colorful cutting boards can be practical and spice up the kitchen decor. To avoid cross- contamination, we recommend using one cutting board for preparing raw meat, poultry and seafood, and a separate board for chopping salad ingredients or other ready-to-eat food. Using cutting boards in different colors can help chefs remember which board goes with each item. Read more: Cutting Boards and Food Safety.
4. Appliance thermometers. Oven, refrigerator and freezer settings may vary, and age can take its toll on their heating and cooling components. Appliance thermometers will indicate whether the oven is heating at the proper temperature, and if the refrigerator and freezer are maintaining safe temperatures at or below 40˚F and 0˚F, respectively. This is crucial for getting the most out of holiday leftovers!
5. Freebies! The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline and USA.gov have partnered to offer a “Safe Cooking Tips for the Holidays” collection of publications that you can order online through Jan. 2, 2013. If your gift swap is too soon for the publications to arrive by mail, they’re also available as PDF’s to download and print.

The English and Spanish-speaking experts at the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline (1-888- MPHotline or 1-888-674-6854) are available weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET to help with holiday food safety questions. USDA’s virtual food safety expert, Ask Karen, is available 24/ 7 at AskKaren.gov or m.AskKaren.gov on your smartphone. The app is also available from the iTunes and Android app stores.

While the holiday season keeps you busy, food safety at family meals or holiday parties is more important than ever. As you get ready to prepare big meals for guests, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ready to answer your questions about food safety.

According to the USDA, turkey is the food you ask about most often. Common questions about turkey are whether drugs are used in turkeys, and if the turkeys are inspected before they hit your grocery store aisle.

You can rest assured that any turkey you buy at the store has been inspected by either the USDA or your state to ensure they meet certain standards.

No matter what dishes you plan to serve at your holiday dinners or parties, it’s important to remember that any food can easily be contaminated. The USDA recommends that you follow the “two hour rule” and put away food that has been setting out for more than two hours to prevent germs from spreading.

You can also prevent the spread of food borne illnesses by washing your hands before and after preparing your food and keeping your kitchen utensils clean.

Find more food safety tips and order a free packet of publications that will help you get a great holiday meal on the table.

Forever Cheese, Inc. voluntarily recalled one lot of Frescolina brand ricotta salata cheese because it is contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

According to CDC reports, 14 people have been infected with listeriosis and hospitalized. Three deaths have been reported. Listeriosis contributed to at least one of these deaths.

The recall affects lot number T9425 and/or production code 441202. Products were sold to supermarkets, restaurants and wholesale distributors.

Learn more about the recall and how to recognize the contaminated cheese.