During the Holiday season, one of our favorite habits is meals with our family and friends.

The following tips are about preventing foodborne illnesses, that is, illnesses caused by eating contaminated food.

What EODY proposes

For the holiday season, the EODY recommends the following for citizens:

– Keep meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from other foods in the refrigerator, in containers or sealed plastic bags.

– Store eggs in their original packaging in the refrigerator (not in the refrigerator door).

– Cook meat and stuffing sufficiently.

– Set the oven temperature to at least 160 degrees. Place the already thawed meat in the appropriate container.

– Cooking the turkey stuffing in a pan ensures that the stuffing will be cooked sufficiently. If you are cooking the stuffing in the turkey, place it just before cooking.

– The use of a cooking thermometer is recommended to ensure that the internal temperature of the meat and the temperature in the center of the stuffing reach 74 degrees.

– After removing the turkey from the oven, allow the stuffing to rest in the poultry for about 20 minutes.

– Store food at safe temperatures.

– After preparing the food, keep it at safe temperatures whether it is hot or cold.

– Place leftover food in the refrigerator as soon as possible and within 2 hours of the time the food was prepared. Alternatively, place leftovers in the refrigerator within 1 hour if the food is exposed to temperatures above 32°C, such as when transported by car.

– The temperature in your refrigerator should be set to be less than or equal to 4°C and in the freezer less than or equal to -18°C.

– Defrost the meat by placing it:

a) in a container in the refrigerator

b) in a plastic bag in a sink of cold water (change the water every 30 minutes), or

c) in the microwave, following the manufacturer’s instructions

Do not allow meat to thaw on the counter outside the refrigerator. When meat is kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours, bacterial proliferation is encouraged. Dangerous temperatures for bacterial proliferation are considered to be those between 4 and 60 degrees Celsius.

– Use pasteurized eggs especially if you are going to prepare foods containing raw eggs.

– Bacteria such as Salmonella spp. survive on both the outside and inside of normal-looking eggs. Many favorite holiday foods or desserts contain raw eggs (e.g., egg lemonade dishes, tiramisu, various Caesar-type sauces).

– Do not consume raw dough.

– Dough made with flour and/or eggs may contain bacteria such as Salmonella spp. Do not taste or allow your children to taste raw dough intended for baking or cooking (e.g., cookie dough, biscuits).

About hand washing

Don’t forget to wash your hands with soap and water in the following conditions:

– Before, during and after preparing food

– Before consuming food

– After handling pet food or contact with pets

– After using the toilet

– After changing a diaper or cleaning a child who has used the toilet

– After contact with litter

– Before and after caring for a patient

– Before and after wound care

– After blowing the nose, coughing or sneezing