Food Safety Tips On World Cup Celebrations

The world cup is here, you gather friends around the TV, appetizers, the grill is sizzling, all ready for the perfect pre-party excitement but have you taken into consideration that food poisoning is not simply an upset stomach; it is a serious public health threat in America. In fact, the CDC estimates that about 1 in 6 Americans (about 48 million people) could suffer from food-borne illness this year. To put that into perspective, that’s twice the amount of people (24 million) that watched the U.S. play Ghana in round 16 of the 2010 World Cup!

The result is approximately 128,000 hospitalizations and sadly, an estimated 3,000 deaths! It’s bad enough when a favorite team loses, but if guests end up sick as well, it adds insult to injury.

This info graphic illustrates the problems and how to avoid them.

Also check more tips on this video, available on YouTube:

If you are serving to a large group of people, have a food truck or own a restaurant then you will want to make sure you abide by all these rules using things like a food pallet – dolav, appropriate labeling, and the correct temperatures.

The first and foremost thing you can do is to have food testing done regularly by testing industries. They may not only assist you in resolving the issues but also provide you with a quality check of the products being used. As these industries generally use various analysis methods like using food safety rapid test kits to test the food, having such tests conducted regularly can be a reliable option, especially if you happen to run a food manufacturing business.

Anyway, if you are in these categories or not and want to learn about proper food safety then here are some top tips.

Here are FOUR SIMPLE STEPS TO FOOD SAFETY FOR GAME DAY:

o Clean: When preparing party food, clean kitchen surfaces, utensils, and hands with soap and water. We’re used to washing our hands before sitting down for a meal, but may forget in a party atmosphere.

o Separate: Cross-contamination occurs when raw meats, like your chicken wings or steaks, touch ready-to-eat foods like veggies. In the refrigerator, place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in containers or sealed plastic bags to prevent their juices from dripping onto other foods. When taking food off the grill or out of the oven, don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry.

o Cook: Cook foods to the right temperature by using a food thermometer. That’s the only way to know it’s a safe temperature. For example sausages should be cooked at 160 F and poultry to 165 F.

o Chill: Chill raw and prepared foods promptly if not consuming after cooking. Follow the two hour rule: you shouldn’t leave food at room temperature for longer than two hours and try nestling foods in ice to keep them safe for guests!

Also more tips can be found on The Food Safety Website.

To learn more Join our Twitter Chat on June 17^th at 1pm EST-just hours before the anticipated Brazil vs. Mexico game! We’ll be offering game-day party tips-just follow the hashtag #WorldCupChat for the English chat and #WorldCupFiesta for the Spanish version and join the fun! 🙂