The holidays are a wonderful time of year marked by big gatherings of family and friends. With those gatherings come lots of food, and probably lots of leftovers. According to the Center for Disease Control, food poisoning incidents rise during the holidays. Don’t let a food poisoning incident ruin all the fun. Below are a few ways to avoid food poisoning during the holidays and important information on what your liability may be as a homeowner/party host.
What To Do With All the Leftovers
Everyone loves leftovers. It is important to ensure that the food doesn’t go bad before you and your guests are ready to eat it again. Turkey should really only be left out for 2 hours after it is done cooking. Beyond that, it is technically unsafe to eat. If you’re like most people, by the time you finish the meal, quite a bit of time has already passed. On top of that, if you’re packing up leftovers for your guests and they have a long drive home, that food will continue to be out for even longer.
To minimize the potential for food poisoning from leftover turkey, refrigerate it as soon as possible. If you are packing up to-go bags for guests, do so promptly and place those bags in the fridge until your guests are ready to leave. Suggest that your guests bring insulated bags (and maybe even their own Tupperware) to take home leftovers.
How Long Can You Keep Leftovers
The food poisoning danger doesn’t end there! Once leftovers are in the fridge, they have a limited lifespan. According to most experts, turkey is only good up to 4 days when refrigerated. Stuffing and gravy have a shorter lifespan of only 2 days. Leftovers can last longer if placed in the freezer instead. When freezing, make sure the container/packaging is sealed tight. Remove excess air if possible. When eating leftovers, make sure to heat them to the proper temperature to avoid food poisoning.
Homeowner Liability for Food Poisoning
It is important to know that as a host of a party, you can be held liable for resulting food poisoning incidents. Most homeowners insurance policies do cover food poisoning, but check with your insurance provider to be sure. Many policies will cover medical bills resulting from these claims. Some will even cover pain and suffering under the liability clause.
Having such a claim against your homeowners insurance policy may result in higher insurance premiums in the future or even limit your ability to get homeowners insurance. So, it is extremely important to be conscious of the potential for food poisoning and take measures to avoid food poisoning during the holidays.
