Food Safety Tips for Popular Gameday Snacks #FoodSafeSB

Do you have any plans for the big game? We all know this day is more than just about football, it’s the second-largest day for food consumption in the U.S., next to Thanksgiving.  Chips, wings, guacamole, chili – sounds like a good time right? It should be! But for many people this snack-filled day will end in food poisoning (i.e. salmonella, e.coli)…and in some cases even death – CDC estimates that approximately 1 in 6 Americans suffer from food poisoning each year and that 3,000 people die from it.

Food poisoning has lots of causes, including leaving food out too long, but with four easy steps, Clean – Separate – Cook – Chill, you can make sure your readers don’t become part of this statistic. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services have teamed up with the Ad Council to launch the“Food Safe Families” campaign (http://www.foodsafety.gov/) and has critical tips to ensure they enjoy the big game between New York and New England, and all the good eats that come with it! 

Fun Fact: More than 1.25 billion wing portions will be consumed during Super Bowl weekend in 2012, totaling more than 100 million pounds of wings, according to theNational Chicken Council’s (NCC) 2012 Wing Report. 

Food Safety Tips for popular Gameday snacks:

Plate of Sandwiches –

Clean – When preparing party foods, wash hands and surfaces often.

Plate of Raw and Grilled Hamburgers and Sausages and a plate of lettuce and tomatoes (if possible) –

Separate – Use separate plates for raw and cooked food when grilling.

Chicken Wings –

Cook – Cook to the right temperatures.

Vegs, Salsa and Dip –

Chill – Don’t leave food at room temperature for longer than two hours.

Check out “Ask Karen” at www.foodsafety.gov/experts/askkaren/index.html, an online database with answers to nearly 1,500 questions related to preventing foodborne illnesses.