Your Game Plan for a Food-Safe Game Day

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Feb 01, 2018, 10:00 ET

SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Bowl^® Sunday is an American tradition and a great way to bring together the three Fs: football, friends, and food. Most Super Bowl^® party menus will include game day essentials like chili, dips, chips and salsa, guacamole, and chicken wings. In fact, it is estimated that 1.35 billion chicken wing portions will be consumed during Super Bowl^® weekend! Sadly, these football favorites are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to foodborne illness (also known as food poisoning) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to remind you to keep your food safe on Game Day.

Tackling Food Safety: Keeping Your Food Safe on Game Day

Did you know that Super Bowl^® Sunday is the second largest day for food consumption after Thanksgiving? Super Bowl^® parties often involve finger foods, a lot of people sharing communal dishes, and treats that are left out for long periods of time—all which can lead to foodborne illness (also known as food poisoning).

Learn more at:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/BuyStoreServeSafeFood/ucm328131.htm
https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/basics/index.html

The best host wants to make sure that foodborne illness is not invited to the party, so the FDA encourages you to pull out the food safety playbook and follow these simple steps:

CLEAN and wash kitchen surfaces, utensils, and hands before preparing or serving food and wash all produce including produce you plan to peel, such as avocados.

SEPARATE raw meats and poultry (and their juices) from cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods, like fruit and vegetables.

COOK meat and poultry to the right temperature by using a food thermometer.

CHILL cooked and prepared foods if you do not plan to consume them immediately.

FOR SERVING, keep cold foods chilled to 40°F or below and hot foods heated to 140°F or above.

Instead of using large serving bowls, serve chili, guacamole, salsa, and dips in smaller containers, and offer serving spoons and small plates to reduce the opportunity for guests to eat directly from the bowls.
Make several small containers in advance and keep them chilled in the refrigerator or hot in the oven (set at 200-250 °F) until serving time. Replace the serving bowls with fresh ones throughout the party.
Discard any perishable food left out at room temperature for more than two hours and have replacements ready at half time.

Make food safety a priority on game day!

® National Football League

Contact: Media: 1-301-796-4540 Consumers: 1-888-SAFEFOOD (toll free)

SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration