Preparing for Holiday Celebrations with COVID-19 Precautions in Mind

Most are looking forward to the holidays bringing a sense of positive change from what we’ve experienced over the past several months.  As plans are being made, it is still important to not only keep our “food” safe during festivities, but for us to be “COVID” safe as well.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided several good resources to assist with preparations for the holidays with Covid-19 in mind to help keep our friends and families safe.

Let’s get ready for fun—and safe—holidays!

Holiday Catering Food Safety Tips!

‘Tis the season for holiday parties, and a party just isn’t a party without plentiful food! With this increased demand for catering, restaurants that don’t traditionally cater may be approached to prepare, transport, and serve food that falls outside of their normal day-to-day operations. If you fall into this category, there are several food safety concerns that must be addressed before committing to such an event.

To make this assessment more convenient, Galen Baxter, the Food Service Program Director for the Georgia Department of Public Health, has created a guide for determining if you’re properly prepared to cater a holiday party or comparable event. Following these guidelines can help you make the correct decision when approached by party organizers for catering services and assure that food safety is a top priority if you decide to take on the job.

Holiday Food Safety Tips!

We join the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in extending  a quick reminder of four important principles that need to be followed to keep food safe during your holiday celebrations. This Holiday Food Safety video is available in both English and Spanish.

In addition, the Georgia Poison Center has summarized those principles in a one-page handout that you can post or just keep handy entitled Holiday Food Safety Tips.

Enjoy your celebrations—while thinking Food Safety!

Food Safety Videos Available!

Over the past few years, Cobb & Douglas Public Health has hosted several Food Safety Partnership Panels composed of four participants representing the food service industry, public health, and consumers.  Each video is about 30 minutes in length, highlights an area needing emphasis at the time of the recording, is good for training, and is available at www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.com.

This time of year, we like to emphasize the importance of having a safe food source.  Partnership Panel #13– entitled Safe Food Source–reminds the viewer of questions operators should ask of their food suppliers– along with red flags to keep in mind–when deciding whether a food source is acceptable for a food service establishment to use or is safe to use as a consumer.  The panel also takes a look at the illegal slaughter of animals for meat–which is a more frequent occurrence as we get closer to the holidays, and much more.  Check out this video along with the various other topics available on our website.

Can I Eat It?: Edible vs. Non-Edible Cake Decorations

Cake decorations with their attractive colors–and often shiny appearances– help make celebrations even more fun; especially during the holidays.  However, not all decorations are safe to eat.   The Food and Drug Administration has prepared a publication entitled To Eat or Not to Eat: Decorative Products on Foods Can Be Unsafe which provides guidance to consumers to help determine if cake decorations are edible or not.  In addition, this publication provides important reminders to commercial bakers that need to be adhered to in order to help keep consumers safe. 

A good rule of thumb to remember is that if you can’t determine for sure if a decoration is safe to eat, then, please don’t.

Best wishes for safe and happy holidays for you and yours!