Food & Holiday Health Safety

Tallahassee, FL - State Health leaders want you to take extra safety precautions when handling food this holiday.

Florida Department of Health officials sent out a few recommendations for Thanksgiving chefs to keep in mind in an attempt to curb the spread of any illness.

Safety tips:

* Wash hands and fingernails frequently

* Clean and sanitize countertops and cooking areas before and after food preparation

* Cook food thoroughly

* Keep un-cooked meats away from other foods

Health officials remind Floridians to seek help if they are unsure about, or if they are not used to, cooking large amounts of food for crowds.

"There's plenty of resources available if people have questions for during the holiday, once the Department of Health is closed. There's lots of places to get information," said Dr. Roberta Hammond, Food and Water-Born Disease Coordinator with FL DOH. "If people follow just simple rules of food sanitation - washing their hands, keeping foods hot foods hot and cold foods cold - they should be alright and they should have a happy holiday."

With flu season underway and an increased risk of H1N1, officials also remind Floridians to take extra hygiene safety tips:

* Wash hands frequently

* Cough and sneeze into your elbow, not your hand

* Stay home if you are ill

"If they're sick, they need to try to stay away from groups of people, so that if people are sick going into Thanksgiving, I wouldn't like to tell them to go celebrate the holiday with their family, but they could minimize the spread of illness if they stay at home," said Dr. Hammond.

And if you have any questions about food preparation or food safety, you can log onto www.holidayfoodsafety.com for tips. You can also call the USDA/ FSIS Meat and Poultry Hotline on Thanksgiving at 1-888-674-6854.