Cooking with Care this Holiday Season

Cooking at home can be a great way to spend time with family during the holidays. Keep everyone safe by following these tips on food safety in the kitchen.

Clean:

• Wash your hands before, during, and after preparing food.
• Wash all fresh produce before cutting or consuming.
• Prevent colds from spreading to your food. Keep sticky fingers out of the kitchen and cover foods if possible.

Separate:

• Use separate cutting boards for raw meats and ready-to-eat items like vegetables and bread to avoid cross-contamination.
• Ensure raw eggs, meat, poultry and their juices stay separate from foods that won’t be cooked.

Cook:

• Use a chafing dish to keep hot foods at 135°F or above.
• Reheat leftovers quickly and thoroughly to 165°F.
• Bake cookies according to instructions. It’s tempting, but don’t eat the raw dough!
• If frying foods, be aware of the cooking times to ensure food is fully cooked and ready for consumption. Find out where to properly dispose of cooking oil after use here.

Chill:

• Use ice bowls to keep food cold (below 40°F).
• Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation.
• Do not defrost food at room temperature. Opt for safe defrosting in the refrigerator, microwave or under cold running water.

What food tips or recipes do you have to share with us? Comment below and the first 10 participants will win a thermometer!

Happy Holidays from Environmental Health Services!

Stay Merry with these Nine Safe Holiday Food Tips

Follow these tips to stay food safe this holiday season whether you are making a Christmas ham, Kwanzaa jerk chicken or Hanukkah latkes.

1. Use a chafing dish to keep hot foods at (+135°F) or above.
2. Use ice bowls to keep food cold (-41°F).
3. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation.
4. Reheat leftovers quickly and thoroughly to 165°F.
5. Bake cookies according to instructions It’s temping, but don’t eat the raw dough!
6. Prevent colds from spreading to your food. Keep sticky fingers out of the kitchen and cover foods if possible.
7. Wash all fresh produce before cutting or consuming.
8. Wash your hands before, during and after food prep.
9. If frying foods, be aware of the cooking times needed to make sure food are fully cooked and ready for consumption. Find out where to properly dispose of the cooking oil after use here.

What food tips or recipes do you have to share with us? Comment below!

Happy Holidays from Environmental Health Services!

Food Placards: Have You Seen Them?

Have you seen these PASS placards around San Mateo County?

It’s been eleven months since Environmental Health Services (EHS) started putting up color-coded food placards as part of routine food inspections in San Mateo County.

Since January 2016, 86% of restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and other food facilities have enrolled in the program and are now displaying green “PASS” placards. EHS staff initially issued 38 yellow “CONDITIONAL PASS” and 29 red “CLOSED” placards, however through technical assistance provided all of these food facilities are now displaying green “PASS” placards.

Since the placards went live we’ve received some questions from you about the program, so we’ve summarized some quick facts about what the green, yellow and red colors mean and where to look for them the next time you head out to your favorite restaurant, cafeteria, or café.

Keep the Food Tricks Out of “Trick-or-Treating” this Halloween

Halloween can be a fun and spooky time of year for all with sweet treats and parties and the grand event of trick-or-treating.

To make sure this year’s trick-or-treating experience stays fun, Environmental Health Services recommends the following food safety tips for your scary celebration.

Environmental Health Tips

In honor of tomorrow (October 5) being “National Do Something Nice Day,” Environmental Health Services (EHS) is relaying answers to some of its most frequently asked questions from the public and businesses.

From food inspections to hazardous waste dumping and everything in between, read on for useful tips that may come in handy in the future.

Stay Food Safe When Going Back to School

Summer is over which means the kids are back in school and you are back to packing lunches on the go. Before you start packing, Environmental Health Services want to remind you about a few food safety tips that will prevent your little ones (or not so little) from falling ill because of improper food handling.

Stay Food Safe this Summer Grilling Season

Have a food safe summer.

With the dog days of summer upon us, it’s the season to take extra precautions when handling, cooking and serving food for your backyard barbecues or outdoor picnics.

While the warmer weather may be ideal for summer grilling, it also creates an ideal environment for bacteria and pathogens to grow in food and cause foodborne illnesses.

Luckily, we have compiled a list of simple steps to help you stay a grilling superstar and not the one who ruined Uncle Joe’s barbeque by making everyone sick.

Be Fish Smart in San Francisco Bay!

We are so lucky to be able to catch and eat fresh fish and shellfish from the San Francisco Bay, but does it make a healthy dinner? Who you are and the type of fish you catch in the Bay can be the difference between a meal packed with protein and heart healthy omega 3s or exposure to potential toxins.

Some fish from the Bay contain toxins such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that can harm your health and are not safe to eat. Women and children are especially vulnerable to these health risks. PCBs likely cause cancer and mercury can change how the brains of babies and children develop.

Update: Food Placarding Has Started

Have you seen a PASS placard around?

For the past few months, Environmental Health Service’s food program has been hosting a series of “How to Get a Green” sessions for restaurants to help prepare for the food placarding system that officially launched on January 1, 2016.

The sessions taught restaurant employees and management how to get a green placard by avoiding the five most common food violations that contribute to food-borne illness.

Thanksgiving Food Safety Tips: Everybody knows a turkey and some…side dishes

be food prepared this Thanksgiving

Nat King Cole sang this verse about turkey during the holidays, but you can learn a lot from the USDA Poultry hotline about safe turkey handling and cooking. However, it’s the side dishes and daylong potluck buffet that will have you singing the blues if you don’t watch it.