HARRISBURG – Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding today encouraged Pennsylvanians to incorporate some of the state’s freshest, most delicious, locally grown products in their Thanksgiving feast this year and to follow a few food-safety tips to ensure the holiday is enjoyable.
“Our state’s products have earned a reputation for quality and the PA Preferred logo helps consumers easily identify foods that are locally produced or processed,” said Redding. “Always look for the PA Preferred logo – a blue keystone with a gold checkmark – at a local grocery store or farm market when planning your menus.”
Governor Edward G. Rendell launched the PA Preferred program in January 2004 as a way to promote and increase sales for state-sourced food products and goods. Currently, the state has more than 2,000 members enrolled in the program.
To ensure that Pennsylvania families have a safe Thanksgiving meal this year, Redding also urged home chefs to follow a few basic food safety steps when preparing their meal and handling leftovers, including:
- Keep hands, clothing and food surfaces clean before, during and after food preparation.
- Wash hands with soap and warm water and dry them thoroughly before and after handling food.
- Use separate cutting boards, platters, trays and utensils for cooked and uncooked meat or fish and poultry and wash plates after each use.
- Defrost turkeys in the refrigerator, in cool running water, or in the microwave.
- Ensure stuffing is cooked at a temperature of 165 degrees regardless of whether it is placed inside or outside of the turkey cavity.
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
- Never leave cooked food unrefrigerated for longer than two hours.
“By understanding and following proper food-handling and preparation guidelines, home chefs can ensure this Thanksgiving dinner will be a safe one,” said Redding.
For more information about PA Preferred, including a searchable database of member locations and recipes, visit www.papreferred.com.