Easy Easter safety

Kids like messy projects.  Parents like healthy food. No wonder Easter egg decorating is such a big hit with so many families!  “But perishable foods, like hard-cooked eggs, should not be consumed if left at room temperature for more than two hours,” warns Pat Inglis, a food nutrition and safety specialist with Alberta’s Food Safety Info line.

To make sure decorated eggs stay safe for eating, always use hard-cooked eggs and non-toxic decorations and glue.  Most importantly, remember that the two-hour window is cumulative.  So refrigerate the decorated eggs as quickly as you can and keep the time limit in mind when moving them from the fridge to the Easter table.  If the meal’s delayed, leave the eggs in the fridge until it’s time to eat – or deem them decorative versus edible.