Holiday traditions, family gatherings, and home-cooked meals are a treasured part of the holiday season. With Thanksgiving just days away, families are hard at work preparing for holiday activities, family gatherings, and Thanksgiving dinner. Preparing holiday dinner can be overwhelming and stressful. Sometimes people get distracted and make mistakes that can cause guests to leave the table with more than full bellies.
“Whether you’re preparing dinner for two people or a large group, following basic food safety steps will keep everyone at the table from getting sick,” says Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Department of Emergency Medicine. “Foods can become contaminated with germs at any point of the food production chain — from farming to grocery stores to leftovers.”
Food poisoning is common and can cause mild to severe sickness. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, upset stomach and fever. A person may not feel sick right away because symptoms may appear a few hours or even a few days after eating. Anyone who is feeling sick should not be preparing or cooking foods because they can spread their germs to the food.
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Bacteria and other germs grow quickly in foods that reach temperatures in the “Danger Zone” —between 40°F and 140°F. It is unsafe to leave food out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours. Prevent food poisoning by always keeping foods out of the danger zone.
Foods can also be contaminated when they’re not handled safely or are undercooked. When preparing and cooking foods, follow four safety steps (Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill) to prevent people from getting sick.
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Everyone is at risk for food poisoning, but young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to get sick from eating foods contaminated with bacteria and other germs.
If this year’s holiday dinner includes turkey, follow these important food safety steps.
- Allow enough time for the turkey to defrost.
- Handle the turkey safely to prevent spreading germs to other foods.
- Do not wash or rinse raw turkey.
- Cook the stuffing separately from the turkey.
- Use a food thermometer to check for safe internal temperatures.
- Store leftovers safely.
Food poisoning can be serious. If you think you may have food poisoning, don’t hesitate to get help from your local poison control center. Poison control centers are not only a great resource in times of emergency, but also for questions and information.
New Jersey residents: Call 1-800-222-1222 or Chat Here
If someone is not breathing, hard to wake up, or having a seizure, call 9-1-1.
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Media contacts only: Alicia Gambino (gambinaa@njms.rutgers.edu), NJ Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
