Holiday Gift Giving and Food Safety

This time of year we look for neatly wrapped and decorative gifts and gift baskets for giving to friends and family.

Many of these contain a variety of packaged products that are being combined into a basket, covered in plastic wrap and tied with a pretty bow at the top. They certainly attract attention.

Some of these are produced by regular food manufacturers and distributers who work with food products all year long and therefore are likely to have been handled properly.
However, there are a significant number that only operate during the holiday season. Some make the baskets long in advance of the holiday to meet the expected demand.

When chosing the gift basket try to look for recognized brands or manufacturers. If you can observe the country of origin then you should look for the product mix.

On the receiving end, you should inspect the packaging before using any of the products. Check for expiration dates. Check to ensure that items marked for "refrigeration" have been refrigerated. For items that need refrigeration after opening, then be sure that you follow the directions. If there are processed items, like jars of salsa and other items that should be properly sealed, then inspect the can or jar before opening for any swelling or appearance that you might question.

Remember, if in doubt, then do not use the item. Certainly you do not want to offend the person who gave you the gift, so you might do your inspection after the person leaves.

The following product recall is an instance where an item for gift giving is being recalled because of a potential melamine contamination:


Dorsey Marketing Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Three G and J Gourmet Market Cocoa Products: 120126, 120129, 120144 (December 19) Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:52:00 -0600
Dorsey Marketing Inc. (DMI) of Ville St. Laurent, Quebec, Canada, is voluntarily recalling the following three G and J Gourmet Market cocoa products because these products may contain melamine.

Remember, be safe and have a healthy holiday season.
Rudy