By MARTHA PARTRIDGE

Wilkes Co. Extension Agent

Football season has arrived once again bringing with it the ever-popular tailgate party.

These parties are a great opportunity for fellowship and celebration, but also can serve as a host for unwanted foodborne bacteria. Keep foodborne illness from ruining your football festivities by following a few simple guidelines for food safety.

The first step to keeping your tailgate party safe is to ensure the cleanliness of the food preparation and service areas. This involves properly washing hands, utensils, and work areas.

When purchasing, preparing, serving, and storing foods it is important to keep cooked foods separate from raw foods. This means keeping foods separate in the grocery cart, refrigerator, and cooler.

When packing foods in a cooler, it is best to use one cooler for drinks and snacks and another for perishable foods. Pack raw foods below cooked foods in the cooler. Use separate cutting boards, utensils, and plates for raw and cooked foods.

Cooking food to the proper minimum internal temperature is one of the best ways to ensure its safety. When checking the temperature, use a calibrated food thermometer. Hamburgers should be cooked to 160 degrees F.; chicken to 180 degrees F.; and hotdogs until they are steamy hot throughout.

Cold foods should be kept at 40 degrees F. or below. Be sure to pack coolers with freezer gel packs or plenty of ice. Check the temperature of foods in the cooler often to make sure they are cold enough.

Discard perishable foods that have been in the temperature danger zone (40-140 degrees F.) for more than two hours.