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Food safety tips you should know before hosting a Super Bowl party

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The big game is right around the corner and it’s the second biggest food holiday of the year.

Many neighbors like Hector Salinas are already making plans for how they plan to watch.

“Me and my friends are going to head out. I watch it up at their house, we have a whole little snack party and stuff,” Salinas said.

Salinas, an active football lover, is planning on bringing out his favorite dish.

“Me personally, I’m going to bring some wings. My friends are going to bring their own things,” Salinas said.

But there’s something he should avoid: The danger zone.

“Avoid keeping perishable food out for longer than two hours without heating or cooling sources. If it stays out for more than two hours, there’s a lot of bacteria that can build up that’s going to cause foodborne illness,” Public Affairs Specialist with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services Jesse Garcia said.

So if you want to keep that food out for the game, Garcia recommended having heating or cooling sources.

“Dips and deli meats, those dishes should be placed in bowls of ice to keep them at 40 degrees or below,” Garcia said.

That rule is something Hector Salinas Sr. already had in mind.

“Rice and beans all got to be in the fridge, not unless you got Tupperware everywhere. But most guys are out in the backyard and we really don’t got time for that. So get an ice chest and put all your food in there so the flies will stay away,” Salinas Sr. said.

Hot items like pizza, chili or wings should be kept heated in warming trays or cookers to stay at 40 degrees or higher.

And if you don’t have heating or cooling sources available, Garcia recommends to follow the halftime rule.

“Bring out one set of food portions during kickoff and then during halftime bring out the second portion of food,” Garcia said.

Making sure you’re following food safety rules for Sunday’s game will lower your chances of becoming part of the statistic.

“The CDC estimates that almost 48 million people get sick each year from foodborne illness,” Garcia said.

Foodborne illness symptoms are similar to flu symptoms such as nausea, fever and headache.

Last but not least, follow the 4 steps to food safety:

Clean- Wash hands and wash any surfaces on your kitchen counter that may have come in contact with raw meat. Use soap and water or sanitize.

Separate- When preparing a meal, make sure to have two sets of cutting boards. One for raw meat and one for ready to eat foods, like vegetables and cheese

Cook- Always cook meats to a safe internal temperature. You want to use a food thermometer. Cook all whole meats like beef, pork and lamb to 145 degrees with a three-minute rest. Ground meat has to reach 160 degrees.

Chill- Put food in the fridge promptly. Don’t leave it out for too long.

When it comes to leftovers, keep them in the fridge. But after four days, decide whether to freeze it or throw it out.

For anymore questions regarding food safety, call the USDA meat and poultry hotline between 10 a.m-6 p.m. Monday-Friday at 1(888)674-6854 or email mphotline@usda.gov.

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