With Christmas right around the corner, people are getting set to whip up a big dinner for friends and family to celebrate.
Food safety is important especially during the holidays, and Huron County Health Unit Public Health Inspector Jessica Van Geffen says there are four key things to remember when preparing your big Christmas feast.
"When preparing any type of food, remember the four main keys to food safety. Those are cleaning, separating, cook and chill," she says.
Van Geffen says this includes always washing hands and surfaces, separating meats from vegetables, cooking food to proper internal temperatures, and storing food quickly after eating to fight bacteria. In terms of cleanliness, Van Geffen says a big step is making sure you're working with a clean environment and hands.
"When we're talking about cleaning, one of the most important things you can do is clean your hands before handling food, or after handling any raw foods, or cleaning them if your task is interrupted, like if you answer the phone in the middle of preparing," says Van Geffen. "We also want to clean our countertops and our kitchen equipment to make sure we don't transfer bacteria from one food to another."