The USDA and Food Safety dot gov what to make sure that people have a food-safe holiday. Here are some simple steps to follow: make sure to wash your hands before prepping food, separate meats from vegetables to avoid cross-contamination and the potential to get sick. Before transporting food to a holiday party, make sure food reaches a temperature of 40 degrees if its supposed to be cold and 140 degrees for hot dishes. Lastly, make sure that perishable food does not sit out longer than 2 hours. If food does sit out longer than 2 hours it must be thrown away with the exceptions of cookies, bread, and whole fruit.
