It’s that time of year again as we begin to gather for the holidays for food and fun. Last year we were warned not to gather, but this year might be a little safer depending on the circumstances. Apparently, those recommendations have nothing to do with what the food safety experts have known for years: Holidays can pose a major risk to family members, and I’m not referring to a respiratory illness; this is one of gastrointestinal nature. You know the culprits — Salmonella, Campylobacter and Bacillus are among the top culprits. Yikes!

This month I thought I would have some fun and share some crazy and quite reckless food safety practices I have experienced and those that have been shared by the Pink Ribbon ladies. You may want to avoid gathering with family members bearing these personality types/behaviors for the holidays:

The Cold Shoulder Sister: I’m not talking about being unfriendly. This family member thaws the turkey at room temperature or even in warm (not cool) water in the sink. There have been times that they have tried to thaw the turkey in the dishwasher. On occasion, the turkey is simply left out overnight on the counter.

The Cross Cousin: This relative isn’t angry; rather, they wash the turkey and/or pour turkey juices into the kitchen sink and fail to disinfect the sink or the surrounding areas, thus contaminating all salads and other products to be consumed raw. They let the turkey juices run all over the counter and there isn’t an antimicrobial in the house.

Cooking up Trouble Twins: These twins are well mannered and always do what their parents ask of them, which includes cooking the turkey using a bizarre tradition passed down from generation to generation. Using a meat thermometer is not one of the traditions. Of particular interest are the twins who put the turkey in the oven at night before going to bed and turn the oven up to the highest temperature possible for one hour. They then turn the oven off and do not open the door for 8, 10, 12 hrs (depending on the family, not the turkey size) and poof — turkey is ready to eat the next day.

The Stuffy Sibling: These brothers and sisters think that cutting lose and having fun is just fine, but they insist on putting the stuffing inside of the bird. If that’s not bad enough, they sometimes let it sit inside the bird on the counter for hours before cooking. Suggesting that the stuffing be cooked separately is not an option.

The Grazing Grandpa: Grandpa is fit as a fiddle except when it comes to holidays. He wants to leave the food out all day for snacking. This is where we, as professionals in the industry, can intervene to save Grandpa and the rest of the family. We may not have been there for the thawing and cooking, but now we can casually start slipping food into the refrigerator until the family starts accusing us of being food safety snobs and ruining what could be Grandpa’s last Thanksgiving. “Let him have his fun,” they tell us. The food is already cooked so why should it go into the fridge? Salmonella is gone. We try to explain the concept of spore-formers to no avail until we decide that we will just avoid seconds and hope Grandpa has a tough immune system. Sometimes Grandma will cover the food with a paper towel, sheet or put into the cupboard or even put the food in the garage on the hood of the car and that makes it all OK for the family.

In all seriousness, we all have family that have some odd food handling habit that makes us cringe (please share). I certainly hope you all have a safe and healthy holiday and enjoy spreading food safety tips. We can’t forget the importance of consumer education, even when it’s our own family. If needed, you can always send them to fightback.org when the unbelieving uncle thinks you have lost your mind.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A warning for families gathering for Thanksgiving

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