With Thanksgiving celebrations just days away, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today reminded state residents to follow a few food safety tips to avoid food-borne illness.

“Everybody enjoys holiday meals, and, with a little care, nothing will mar the pleasure of the celebration,” Bronson said.

“But food safety measures are particularly important, especially with the variety of foods being served, the number of helpers in the kitchen and the fact that food is often left out for long periods of time after being served.”

An estimated 76 million people contract food-borne illness in the United States each year and about 5,000 such cases are fatal. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable for contracting such illness.

Here are some tips to help reduce the chances of contracting food-borne illness:

— Clean and sanitize cooking equipment.

— Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before preparing food and after contact with raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.

— Keep raw foods away from cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination, and make sure that raw meat juices never come in contact with salads and vegetables.

— Defrost the turkey in the refrigerator, or, if time is short, it can be defrosted under cold running water in a matter of hours. Never defrost the bird at room temperature as bacteria can rapidly grow on raw meat at room temperature.

— Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot, especially when serving buffet style. Buffet servings should be kept small and replenished often.

— State and federal food safety officials stress that the turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F, and a food thermometer should be used to verify the temperature. While many people cook stuffing inside the bird, officials suggest that it be cooked in a separate pan because there is no guarantee that the stuffing will reach 165 degrees F at the same time as the turkey.

— Carefully store leftovers. Food should not be allowed to sit out for more than two hours after coming out of the oven. When ready to store, leftovers should be refrigerated promptly. Slice the turkey before refrigerating as whole turkeys do not store safely in the refrigerator. Leftovers should be put in shallow containers to speed up the cooling process and prevent bacterial growth.

Consumers can learn more about food safety tips for the holidays by logging onto the Department’s web site at http://www.florida-agriculture.com/consumers/foodsafety_winter.htm.