{"id":16390,"date":"2025-11-25T10:45:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=16390"},"modified":"2025-11-25T10:47:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:47:48","slug":"the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-shares-food-safety-tips-for-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2025-regional-news-releases\/the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-shares-food-safety-tips-for-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Shares Food Safety Tips for the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>November 25, 2025<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Dr. Zelalem Attlee, <u><a href=\"mailto:Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov\">Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Shares Food Safety Tips for the Holidays<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Share the Joy this Holiday, Not the Germs<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>WARRENTON, Va. \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0The holiday season is here! Most holiday festivities have some component of food from family dinners to party appetizers. The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health District shares safety and prevention tips to ensure that your holidays are filled with joy, laughter and good tiding, not illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The holidays are a time for joy and togetherness, let\u2019s keep it that way by practicing safe food handling. Simple steps like proper handwashing, cooking foods to the right temperature, and prompt refrigeration can prevent illness and keep everyone healthy,\u201d said Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Director J. Carr, M.D.<\/p>\n<p>The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/food-safety\/about\/index.html\">1 in 6 Americans<\/a><\/u> (48 million) get sick from foodborne illness annually. <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/food-safety-in-virginia\/foodborne-diseases-and-outbreaks\/foodborne-disease-faq\/\">Foodborne illnesses<\/a><\/u>\u00a0usually affect your stomach or bowels. Typical signs and symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Don\u2019t let a foodborne illness put a damper on your holiday celebration.<\/p>\n<p>The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health District shares four <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/food-safety\/prevention\/index.html\">key steps to preventing foodborne illness<\/a><\/u>\u00a0\u2013 clean, separate, cook and chill.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Clean<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wash Your Hands. <\/strong><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/clean-hands\/about\/index.html\">Wash your hands<\/a><\/u>\u00a0before and after preparing food or eating and after using the bathroom or changing diapers. Be sure to wash hands after handling uncooked meat, chicken and other poultry, seafood, flour, or eggs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wash Surfaces. <\/strong>Wash any surface, to include utensils, counters and cutting boards, that comes in contact with food with hot, soapy water before and after preparing each food item.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rinse Produce.<\/strong> <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/foodsafety\/pdfs\/fruit-veggie-safety-h.pdf\">Rinse all fruits and vegetables<\/a><\/u>\u00a0under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Separate<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keep Foods Separate. <\/strong>Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods when grocery shopping. Store them in separate spots in the refrigerator.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid Cross Contamination.<\/strong> <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/foodsafety\/pdfs\/fsem-2022-508.pdf\">Avoid cross contamination<\/a><\/u>\u00a0by not reusing cutting boards, utensils and plates, especially with uncooked foods.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prevent Germs from Spreading.<\/strong> Do not rinse poultry. <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/about-usda\/news\/press-releases\/2019\/08\/20\/washing-raw-poultry-our-science-your-choice\">Research from USDA<\/a><\/u>\u00a0found that rinsing poultry and raw meat often result in spreading germs on sinks and countertops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cook<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Thaw Food Properly.<\/strong> <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/food-safety\/safe-food-handling-and-preparation\/food-safety-basics\/big-thaw-safe-defrosting-methods\">Thaw frozen food <\/a><\/u>safely in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Never <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/food-safety\/safe-food-handling-and-preparation\/poultry\/turkey-basics-safe-thawing\">thaw turkey<\/a><\/u>\u00a0by leaving it on the counter at room temperature.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cook Food Fully<\/strong>. Use a thermometer to ensure that food is cooked to a <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/food-safety\/safe-food-handling-and-preparation\/food-safety-basics\/safe-temperature-chart\">safe minimal internal temperature<\/a><\/u>. <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/food-safety\/safe-food-handling-and-preparation\/poultry\/turkey-farm-table\/#20\">Cooking times<\/a><\/u> for a turkey depend on the weight and whether it is stuffed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Microwave Thoroughly<\/strong>. Microwave ovens can cook food unevenly and leave &#8220;cold spots&#8221; where harmful bacteria can survive. Follow recommended <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/food-safety\/safe-food-handling-and-preparation\/food-safety-basics\/cooking-microwave-ovens\">cooking and standing times<\/a><\/u>. Letting food sit for a few minutes allows it to cook more completely.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid Raw Foods. <\/strong>CDC advises against <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/food-safety\/foods\/safer-food-choices.html\">eating raw foods<\/a><\/u>, including uncooked meat, poultry, fish, eggs and flour. Raw cookie dough shouldn\u2019t be eaten because it contains eggs and <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/consumers\/consumer-updates\/flour-raw-food-and-other-safety-facts\">flour<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Chill<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Set the Temperature<\/strong>. Keep your refrigerator at 40\u00b0F or below and your freezer at 0\u00b0F or below.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use the Two-Hour Rule. <\/strong>Refrigerate any <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/consumers\/consumer-updates\/food-safety-tips-healthy-holidays\">leftovers within two hours<\/a><\/u>. This rule applies to any food that should normally be refrigerated, including pumpkin pie! Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than two hours. When in doubt, throw it out.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Store Leftovers Safely.<\/strong> <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/food-safety\/safe-food-handling-and-preparation\/food-safety-basics\/leftovers-and-food-safety\">Leftovers can be stored<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in the refrigerator for three to four days or in the freezer for three to four months. Store leftover food in small, shallow containers for quicker cooling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you suspect that more than one person has become ill after eating a common food, please contact The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District at <u><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rrhd.org\">www.rrhd.org<\/a><\/u>. You can also visit <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/foodborne-illness-report\/\">MyMealDetective.com<\/a><\/u>\u00a0to submit a foodborne illness report.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>November 25, 2025 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Shares Food Safety Tips for the Holidays Share the Joy this Holiday, Not the Germs WARRENTON, Va. \u2013\u00a0The holiday season is here! Most holiday festivities have some component of food from family dinners to party appetizers. The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health District shares safety and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":12292,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[710,31,1351,1352],"class_list":["post-16390","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-food-safety","tag-holiday","tag-thanksgiving","tag-turkey"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Shares Food Safety Tips for the Holidays - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2025-regional-news-releases\/the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-shares-food-safety-tips-for-the-holidays\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Shares Food Safety Tips for the Holidays - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"November 25, 2025 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Shares Food Safety Tips for the Holidays Share the Joy this Holiday, Not the Germs WARRENTON, Va. \u2013\u00a0The holiday season is here! 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