This content was published: December 14, 2006. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Flu prevention starts with food handling
Photos and story by James Hill
As part of the PCC Pandemic Flu Planning Committee’s efforts to provide information on ways to prevent the spread of illness, we’d like to remind folks about the importance of food safety during the holiday season.
Many of us will be sharing food within our departments and participating in celebrations both on and off-campus in the next few weeks. Observing good food safety for preparing, serving, and storing dishes is essential to staying healthy.
A few tips for a safe and happy holiday season:
- Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
- Observe The Two-Hour Rule: Throw away all perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs and casseroles, left at room temperature longer than two hours. Some exceptions to this rule are foods such as cookies, crackers, bread and whole fruits.
- Use a utensil, not your hands, to serve food, including chips, crackers, and other “finger” foods.
For more information on food safety, you can check out the Partnership for Food Safety Education’s website – “Fight BAC: Keeping Food Safe from Bacteria.” It includes a special section on food safety during the holiday season.
See more information at Fightbac.org.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »