Ultimate Game Day Food Safety Guide: Keep Your Guests Safe and Happy!

Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner! If you’re throwing a party, you’re likely planning to serve lots of tasty snacks and friendly dishes. But be careful! If food is out for too long, it can lead to foodborne illness, commonly known as food poisoning. Let’s keep the fun alive by ensuring food safety. Here are some easy tips from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help you prepare safely.

CLEAN

• Wash your hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food, using the bathroom, or playing with your pets.
• Clean your cutting boards, plates, and utensils with hot, soapy water after preparing each dish.
• Always rinse fresh fruits and veggies under running water, even those with skins like cucumbers and melons. For firm produce, use a clean brush to scrub them.

SEPARATE

• Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from other foods when shopping, storing, and prepping.
• Use one cutting board for fruits and veggies and another one for raw meat.
• Don’t put cooked food on a plate that previously had raw ingredients unless that plate has been washed properly.

COOK

• Always use a food thermometer to make sure meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs are cooked to a safe internal temperature. This helps kill harmful bacteria.
• If you’re microwaving food, cover it, stir occasionally, and rotate it for even heating. Allow it to sit after cooking before checking the temperature.

CHILL

• Make sure to refrigerate or freeze meats, poultry, eggs, and other perishable items within 2 hours of cooking or buying. If it’s really warm outside, do this within 1 hour.
• For leftovers, use shallow containers to help them cool down faster in the fridge.

SERVE

• Keep cold foods at 40°F or lower and hot foods at 140°F or higher.
• If you’re hosting a buffet, consider serving smaller portions. This way, you can refresh trays without letting food stay out too long.
• When it comes to leftovers, refrigerate them within 2 hours of your guests leaving.

For more detailed food safety advice, you can check this FDA resource.

If you have food safety concerns, you can report them through the Safety Reporting Portal.

Stay safe and enjoy your Super Bowl party!