Enjoy Your Super Bowl Snacks with a Side of Food Safety

While millions watch NFL players battle it out in the Super Bowl, the real MVPs on Sunday will be chicken wing-more than 1 billion will be consumed before, during and after the game! Whether you bake, roast, fry or order in your chicken wings, don't forget the four food safety steps that night.

Clean: Keep bacteria out of your kitchen by washing your hands before, during, and after you handle raw food. Make sure food preparation surfaces and utensils are clean.

Separate: Keep raw meat and poultry separate from produce and cooked foods by using different cutting boards.

Cook: Chicken wings should be cooked to 165°F, as measured with a food thermometer in the thickest part of the wing, avoiding the bone.

While cooking, take the temperature of several wings to gauge the doneness of the entire batch. If one wing is under 165°F, continue cooking all the wings until they all reach the proper internal temperature.

Do not test the temperature while the wings are submerged in oil. This will lead to an inaccurate temperature reading.

You can keep chicken wings warm (above 140°F) in a slow cooker before you serve them.

Chill: Your perishable snacks (dips, sauces, chicken wings, etc.) on the table have only two hours before they become at risk of bacteria multiplying to dangerous levels. Put out small amounts of food for your guests and replenish them frequently.

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential in preventing foodborne illness.

For more information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or email MPHotline@usda.gov to reach a food safety expert or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

For more food safety tips, visit Foodsafety.gov or follow FSIS on Twitter @USDAFoodSafety or on Facebook at Facebook.com/FoodSafety.gov