Food Safety Facts Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health

agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring

that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products

is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

 PhotoDisc

Every day the hotline receives calls from consumers

who need some help with these unplanned

situations. Here’s how to handle the food safely.

QI have prepared a special dinner for a group of

friends, but I just heard the weather report on

TV advising everyone to stay home. What should I

do with all the food?

AIf your guests can re-schedule within four days,

 cooked foods can be stored safely in the

refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze any cooked

food. Arrange the cooked food in shallow airtight

containers or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum

foil or freezer wrap, and freeze. These foods will

keep their best quality (flavor, texture, juiciness) for

3 to 4 months. Also, most vegetable, rice and pasta

dishes can be frozen. Cream sauces may become

lumpy or separate when frozen and reheated, but

they will be safe to serve again.

Q I thawed steaks for dinner tonight. Will they

need to be discarded if the guests do not

come?

A Raw meat (or poultry) can be safely refrozen, but

ONLY if it was thawed in the refrigerator. If the

meat or poultry was previously frozen, there may be

a decrease in quality when frozen a second time, but

it would be safe because bacteria do not grow in the

freezer.

Alternatively, if your guests will be able to come at a

later time, poultry and ground meats can be

refrigerated for two days; red meats like roasts and

steaks, up to five days. Kept longer at refrigeration

temperatures, meat or poultry will likely spoil.

“No-Show” Guests Jeopardize Food Safety

You’ve invited the guests, decorated the table and prepared the food. Then the guests are delayed, call to cancelor don’t show at all. Holiday meals and other celebrations require careful planning to ensure that everything

goes “just right.” When guests encounter emergencies and the meal must be delayed or cancelled, food must be

handled “just right” to remain safe.

Q Everything is ready for the meal but myguests have been delayed at least an hour.

What shall I do to hold the food?

A Remember the basic food safety rules:

 1. Keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold.

 2. Don’t let any cooked food, meat or poultry

remain in the danger zone - between 40 °F

and 140 °F - for more than 2 hours.

If you have hot foods in the oven, you may be able

to hold them safely until your guests arrive. Put a

food thermometer in the thickest part of your roast

or poultry, or center of your casserole. Adjust the

oven temperature so that the food stays at an

internal temperature of 140 °F or above. To prevent

dryness, cover the dishes or wrap with aluminum

foil.

Q Due to an emergency situation, my guests will

be here, but they will be three to four hours

late. Can the food stay in the oven?

A Food will probably dry out if kept warm that

long. For extended delays, it is safer to

refrigerate the food and reheat it when your guests

arrive. Food in shallow containers will cool rapidly to

a safe temperature in the refrigerator. Do not worry

about putting hot foods directly into the refrigerator

because the thermostat will keep the unit running to

maintain a safe temperature (40 °F or below). When

your guests arrive, reheat food in a 325 °F oven to

an internal temperature of 165 °F, or until hot and

steaming. Cold foods should be kept refrigerated

until mealtime.
Food Safety Questions?

Ask Karen!

FSIS’ automated response

system can provide food safety

information 24/7

AskKaren.gov

No-Show Guests Jeopardize Food Safety

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Revised February 2010

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

If you have a question

about meat, poultry,

or egg products, call

the USDA Meat and

Poultry Hotline

toll free at

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854);

TTY: 1-800-256-7072.

 The Hotline is open yearround Monday through

Friday from 10 a.m. to

4 p.m. ET (English or

Spanish). Recorded

food safety messages

are available 24 hours

a day. Check out the

FSIS Web site at

www.fsis.usda.gov.

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

Q My stuffed turkey is ready NOW, and theguests are not arriving for three hours. Help!

A If you have prepared a turkey and you have

 determined it is safely done several hours before

serving time, remove the turkey from the oven and

allow it to stand for 20 minutes. If the turkey is

stuffed, remove the stuffing, place it in a shallow

container, cover and refrigerate. Remove the legs,

thighs, and wings. Carve the breast meat, and legs

and thighs, if desired.

If you want to serve turkey cold, arrange the sliced

turkey on platters or in shallow containers. For

carved turkey meat to be reheated, place the slices

in shallow oven-safe baking dishes or pans. Cover

and refrigerate the meat. If you will be making gravy,

pour off the drippings and refrigerate them. The

gravy can be made at your leisure.

About thirty minutes before serving turkey to be

heated, sprinkle with a little broth. Cover with foil

and heat in a 325 °F oven. The stuffing can be

heated alongside the turkey.

Q I frequently order take-out foods when I am entertaining. What should I do with the food

after I bring it home?

A How you handle the food will depend on its

temperature when you pick it up. First, take the

food home immediately. Do not leave take-out foods

at room temperature longer than two hours. At room

temperatures over 90 °F, discard after one hour.

Foods cold when picked up should be refrigerated

until serving time. If the food is hot, and you will not

be eating within two hours, keep it in an oven set at

a high enough temperature to keep the turkey at

140 °F. Measure the temperature of the turkey by

inserting a food thermometer in the thickest part of

the thigh. If you are picking up the foods far in

advance, refrigerate them and reheat later for

serving.

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety

purposes. However, the included image from PhotoDisc, used under license, is

protected by the copyright laws of the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, and may

not be saved or downloaded except for printing of this publication.