Being Mindful of Food Safety This Easter
As the Easter holiday approaches this spring, many families are looking forward to coming together to share a meal. However, after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are out of practice when it comes to hosting and preparing food for large groups. For those who are in need, read on for a little refresher about how to keep everyone safe this Easter and ensure that none of your Easter guests go home with food poisoning.
Think of Your Kitchen as a Commercial Kitchen
When preparing food for a group, think of your kitchen space as more of a professional kitchen than a home kitchen. You may be in the habit of being a little lax when it comes to hygiene practices within your own home (who cares if you lick the batter off the spoon if you’re the only one eating the cupcakes?), but when you’re feeding others, it’s important to stick to strict hygiene protocols.
To start, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water prior to embarking on food prep. If you get distracted or interrupted in the middle of cooking (i.e., your toddler runs into the kitchen and requests your help with blowing their nose, etc.), always rewash before restarting the process. The same is true when handling food items like raw meat or when conducting egg preparation—wash after each exposure to these, and don’t reuse utensils or surfaces that have come into contact with these food types that can potentially harbor dangerous bacteria like Salmonella.
Encourage Copious Handwashing
Outside of your food prep vigilance, it’s also vital for you to encourage your guests to practice steadfast hand hygiene and for you to model this yourself. Often, holiday celebrations involve grazing and circulating from one room to another, including the bathroom. However, in this moment of high activity of viral outbreaks such as Norovirus, it’s critical to make handwashing accessible and prioritized within your home.
Think of Choking Hazards
Easter is known for its pastel-colored candies of all sorts. However, many of these candies and other small treats can be hazardous for the very youngest members of a celebration. Gone are the days of the passive candy dish left out on the coffee table. If you will be having babies or toddlers present at your get-together, keep Easter candies out of reach. It’s also important to avoid having other choking hazards—such as nuts or whole grapes—within reach of vulnerable young children.
Don’t Leave Food Sitting Out at Room Temperature
In between the food prep before guests arrive, the initial greetings, the appetizers, and the official meal, it’s easy to lose track of how long food has been sitting out at room temperature. However, being mindful of this is critical to ensuring that your guests stay healthy and out of harm’s way. Some of the most notorious culprits when it comes to food poisoning include side dishes such as potato salad, egg salad, or deviled eggs. According to FoodSafety.gov, operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, eggs should not be left out at room temperature for more than two hours. It is tempting to arrange all of your food options in an eye-catching display so that guests can snack as they please, but it’s safer to do periodic rounds with a tray of appetizers and then quickly store them back in the refrigerator.
Stay Safe When Egg Coloring
The signature dish when it comes to Easter celebrations is, of course, the colored Easter egg. To stay safe, the experts at FoodSafety.gov recommend using egg dye that is food-grade or even preparing two sets of hard-boiled eggs—one to be consumed (these should be left in the fridge) and one just for decorative purposes and egg hunts. To avoid confusion, you may consider simply using plastic eggs for an egg hunt instead.
When Preparing Meat, Take Internal Temperatures into Account
Many Easter celebrations incorporate meat as a central entrée. Whether you are cooking lamb, beef, chicken, ham, or otherwise, it’s critical to follow food safety guidelines when it comes to internal cooking temperature. For details about suggested cooking temperatures for various meats, check out this website from FoodSafety.gov.
How to Learn More About Food Safety
By following the above tips, you can feel more confident about hosting or enjoying a rewarding Easter celebration this year. For more food safety insight, including information about cross-contamination, food storage, and preparation, check out this helpful food safety website from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Research and materials for this article were compiled, written, and distributed on behalf of the National Public Health Information Coalition. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the various authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the National Public Health Information Coalition or its members.
[1] Norovirus appears to keep spreading as rate of positive tests exceeds last year’s peak.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/norovirus-spreading-symptoms-rcna69928
[2] Tune into these important food safety tips for cooked potatoes. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2020/09/tune-into-these-important-food-safety-tips-for-cooked-potatoes/#:~:text=They%20give%20potato%20salad%20a,until%20just%20before%20it’s%20served.
[3] https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/food-safety-tips-passover-and-easter