WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Food safety organizations are reminding people this Thanksgiving to take safe measures to prevent foodborne illness from spoiling any holiday fun.

According to Whatcom County Health and Community Services, 48 million people get sick from food every year in the U.S., and 3,000 people die from foodborne illnesses. Consumers are encouraged to practice food safety throughout Thanksgiving, from the grocery store to the dining table.

“On the most popular food holiday of the year, we’re reminding consumers to follow safe food handling practices starting at the grocery store and going all the way through enjoying your leftovers,” says Dr. Emilio Esteban, Under Secretary for Food Safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

It is advised to purchase your holiday meat of choice at the end of a shopping trip and move it to your refrigerator within the hour. Check the meat’s packaging for tears or leaks and keep it separate from foods that will not be fully cooked.

Cook meat to the right degree and always use a food thermometer to confirm a safe internal temperature. Use a separate cutting board for produce and raw meat.

Make sure the turkey reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Use a food thermometer to check in three places, avoiding bone: (1) the thickest part of the breast, (2) where body and thigh join, aiming toward the thigh, and (3) where body and wing join, aiming toward the wing. Courtesy of Center for Disease Control and Prevention

When serving food, keep it hot or cold before and after a meal. After dinner, leftovers must be refrigerated within two hours of serving unless they have been kept hot (above 140º) or cold (below 40°). Discard any foods that have sat out for over two hours at room temperature to avoid foodborne illness.

If you have turkey leftovers, the USDA advises you to carve the bird into smaller pieces and place them into small, shallow containers so the meat can cool evenly and quickly.

Anyone with food safety questions while planning and preparing Thanksgiving food is encouraged to call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at (888) 674-6854. The hotline will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST.

Visit Whatcom County Health and Community Services’ website to learn more about identifying and reporting foodborne illness cases.