5 Tips to Prevent Food Poisoning at Your Holiday Buffet

Photo Source:  FoodSafety.gov

The one sure way to ruin your holiday festivities is to give your dinner guests the gift that keeps on giving�..for hours, if not days.  That is a gift of a bout of foodborne illness, better known food poisoning. 

Annually, 1 in 6 Americans get sick from consuming contaminated foods.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), raw foods from animal sources such as meat, poultry, eggs, unpasteurized milk, and raw shellfish are the chief culprits in carrying the pathogens that can make you dreadfully sick.

Festivities that last for many hours also can pose many problems.  �Foods served buffet-style at parties tend to sit out for hours without refrigeration or heat, increasing the risk for foodborne illness,� states Alissa Rumsey, RDN, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  If you are planning a holiday buffet, you need to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold to reduce the risk of food poisoning.

To keep you and your guests safe this holiday season, use these 5 tips from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

Tip No. 1: Size Matters

If you're planning a buffet at home and are not sure how quickly the food will be eaten, keep buffet serving portions small. Prepare a number of small platters and dishes ahead of time and replace each empty serving dish with a fresh one throughout the party.

Store cold back�up dishes in the refrigerator or keep hot dishes in the oven set at 200� F to 250� F prior to serving. This way, your late-arriving guests can enjoy the same appetizing arrangements as the early arrivals.

Tip No. 2: Take Temperatures

Hot foods should be kept at an internal temperature of 140� F or warmer.  Check the food often with a good thermometer.  Serve or keep food hot in chafing dishes and slow cookers.  If using a warming tray, be aware that some warmers only hold food at 110� F to 120� F.

Tip No. 3: Chill Out

Cold foods should be kept at 40� F or colder.  Keep cold foods refrigerated until serving time.  If food is going to stay out on the buffet table longer than two hours, place plates of cold food, such a shrimp, on ice to retain the chill.

Tip No. 4: Keep It Fresh

Don't add new food to an already-filled serving dish.  Instead, replace nearly-empty serving dishes with freshly-filled ones.  Be aware that during the course of the party, bacteria from people's hands can contaminate the food.  Plus, bacteria can multiply at room temperature.

Tip No. 5: Watch the Clock

Remember the 2-Hour Rule: Discard any perishables left out at room temperature for more than two hours, unless you're keeping it hot or cold. If the buffet is held in a place where the temperature is above 90�F, the safe-holding time is reduced to one hour. Whether you�re sending �doggie bags� home with guests or are saving them for yourself, leftovers should be refrigerated as soon as guests arrive home and/or within two hours!


Be well, Joan


Twitter:  @JoanSalgeBlake