Great food, large groups of friends and cheering for a team are what make Super Bowl parties so much fun, but they also often involve lots of finger foods, and the sharing of communal dishes.
A news release says, if you plan to host or attend a viewing party this year, most likely that means foods will be left out for long periods of time-scenarios that can be recipes for disaster.
An estimated 1 in 6 (48 million) Americans get sick from food-borne illness, such as Salmonella, each year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This Super Bowl, the Food Safe Families campaign is directing families to visit the website, www.FoodSafety.gov to learn about food safety practices. You also can call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at 1-(888)-MPHotline. Each is available in English and Spanish.
Super Bowl LII is Sunday, February 4.