Ordering Food this Holiday Season?

Tips for Keeping Mail Order and Ready-To-Eat Foods Safe

(ARA) - Food is an important part of any celebration, and that is especially true of the winter holidays. Because the holidays can be hectic, convenience is key. When it comes to holiday food, people order from catalogs, gourmet Web sites and television shopping channels, pick up prepared meals from the supermarket and take advantage of home grocery delivery.

If not properly handled, stored and prepared, food products can harbor many different organisms that can cause food borne illnesses. Whether you're setting out a holiday buffet or ordering crab legs from out east for a special holiday dinner, you'll want to heed these safety tips from the experts at NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to making the world a safer place for consumers.

Mail Order Food

"The most important safety precaution is to make sure you are ordering from a reputable company," says Mary Weaver, technical manager for retail food safety at NSF.

If you are ordering perishable food, either make sure someone will be home to accept the delivery, or have the food sent to your workplace so you can immediately get it into the refrigerator. If you're sending food as a gift, let the recipient know that it's coming so someone will be there to receive it.

When ordering frozen foods, make sure they are properly packed with a cold source such as an ice pack or dry ice to maintain safe temperature. Perishable foods should be shipped via overnight delivery to make sure they stay cold. Frozen food should be stored at 0 F and thawed carefully to avoid spoilage or contamination. They should be thawed either in a refrigerator or as part of the cooking process, not at room temperature. If perishable food arrives warm -- above 40 F as measured with a food thermometer -- notify the company. Do not consume the food.

Prepared Dinners

If you're ordering a holiday dinner from your local supermarket or specialty store, the most important thing to check for is proper cooling and storage. "Food should be rapidly cooled from 140 F to 70 F within the first two hours and from 70 F to 40 F or less within and additional four hours," says Weaver.

She notes that there is a significant safety risk in foods that have not been rapidly cooled, as bacterial spores that have survived the cooking process may become viable and grow to high enough numbers to produce toxins that cannot be destroyed by reheating. One sign that food has not been properly cooled is excessive condensation on the lid.

Once you get your meal home, keep it refrigerated until you're ready to use it (and don't run errands all over town with the prepared dinner in the back seat). For reheating, food should rapidly be reheated from refrigeration temperatures to 165 F; this applies to holiday leftovers as well as to prepared dinners. "The food should reach 165 F within two hours or disease-causing bacteria may grow to significant numbers and result in food borne illness or intoxication," says Weaver.

Grocery Delivery

Ordering groceries online and having them delivered right to your door is a great time-saver. Services that deliver groceries have specialized equipment, such as refrigerated bins that are guaranteed to keep food cold for a specified length of time. The most important detail here is to make sure you can retrieve the food in time to get it into proper storage while it is still at a safe temperature -- don't arrange food delivery on a day when you know you'll be home later than usual.

Meats, poultry, seafood, dairy products, egg products, fruits and vegetables requiring refrigeration should be stored at or below 40 F.

If you have ordered dry food products such as flour, cereal and sugar, do not use any packages that are ripped, torn or punctured. Botulism can grow in canned and vacuum-packed foods. If cans or packages are swollen, do not open them. If one end of a can pops when the other end is pushed, or if there are signs of moisture or leakage, do not attempt to use the product.

Enjoy the flavors of the season, using common sense and these tips to prevent food borne illness. For more food safety tips, visit www.NSF.org/consumer.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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