Don't have a food safety foul

Whether or not your favorite team made into the Super Bowl this year, Super Bowl Sunday is always a fun day to get together with friends and family, eat lots of good food and cheer for good old fashioned American football.

While eating all those delicious finger foods is easy, sometimes keeping food bacteria-free isn’t. USA.gov makes sure you keep your guests healthy with these food safety tips:

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says unclean hands are one of the biggest ways to spread bacteria. With flu season in full swing right now, it’s more important than ever to wash your hands before preparing foods and make sure you do so for at least 20 seconds with soap. The USDA also suggests using one cutting board for uncooked meat and another for veggies and other foods so they won’t be contaminated with bacteria from the meat.
• Prevent foodborne illness when you’re shopping for Super Bowl Sunday by staying away from canned goods that are deformed or jars that have cracked or loose lids. Make sure to refrigerate food that requires it, and dispose of food that looks or smells suspicious. Foodborne illness is like a bad halftime show – no one wants either on Super Bowl Sunday.
• Slow cookers and crock pots are popular cooking tools when it comes to meatballs, chili and other all American favorites. Foodsafety.gov answers some common questions about slow cooker faux pas to help you get to game time without worrying about what’s going on in the kitchen. For example, unthawed food should not go directly into a slow cooker; it must be properly thawed before you heat it up.
• If you have any questions about keeping your food safe before sharing it with your friends and family, Foodsafety.gov has all the information for you in one place. Learn about recent recalls and alerts from the government, how to keep all different types of food safe, how to avoid food poisoning and much more.