The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reminds football fans to use safe food preparation and storage measures to prevent foodborne illness on Super Bowl Sunday.

Bacteria that can be found in foods such as meat and poultry may cause illness if they are insufficiently cooked, inadequately cooled or improperly handled.
 
“Proper food preparation and storage measures can help ensure the only guests at your Super Bowl party are friends and family, and not foodborne pathogens,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith.
 
About 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are related to foodborne diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Foodborne diseases can be prevented by:
 
· Washing hands with soap and warm water before and after food preparation, especially after handling raw food.

· Cleaning all work surfaces, utensils and dishes with hot soapy water and rinsing them with hot water after each use.

· Cooking food thoroughly and refrigerating adequately between meals.
 
Symptoms of foodborne disease can include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever. Most infected people recover from foodborne illnesses within a week.

Some, however, may develop complications that require hospitalization. Young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at highest risk for potentially life-threatening complications.

For more information about preparing and storing food, visit the following CDPH Web site.
 
Additional information about food safety is available at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).

Consumers can also access the national Partnership for Food Safety Education’s Fight BAC! Web site.