Food Safety: Ensuring Safe Summer Eats

As summer approaches, we eagerly anticipate a season full of outdoor gatherings like backyard BBQs, pool parties, picnics, and tailgates. However, warm weather brings the challenge of keeping food safe from harmful pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses.

Follow these tips for packing, prepping, cooking, and storing food to ensure your summer fun is free from food-borne illnesses.

General Packing

• Use a cooler with ice to store meat, poultry, and seafood, especially when you can't head home straight from the supermarket.

• Always securely wrap raw meat, poultry, and seafood to prevent juices from contaminating other foods. Pack them separately at the store and keep them in a distinct cooler from other foods during transport.

• Bring two sets of plates and utensils—one for raw foods and another for cooked foods.

• If you’ll be at a park or a place without running water, bring soap, a gallon of water, and paper towels for handwashing.

Cooler Specifics

• A fully packed cooler retains cold temperatures longer than a partially filled one, so include extra ice to keep everything chilled.

• Keep the cooler out of direct sunlight and minimize the number of times it’s opened. Store beverages in a separate cooler from foods since they are frequently accessed.

Food Prep

• Wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water before and after handling food to prevent foodborne illnesses.

• Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter or outdoors. Do not reuse marinades that have touched raw meat.

• Avoid reusing platters or utensils that have come into contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

Cooking

• Ensure food is cooked thoroughly by using a food thermometer to check it has reached the appropriate internal temperature.

• Don’t leave cooked foods from the grill in the heat and sun for more than an hour. Grill in batches, cooking only what you think will be consumed within an hour. Store extra meat in the cooler until ready to grill.

• Keep cooked meats on the cooler side of the grill rack to stay hot.

Storage

• Wrap hot food well and place it in an insulated container until serving.

• Discard any food, cooked or uncooked, that has been left out for over an hour. Store leftovers that are still good directly in the refrigerator or freezer. If outdoors, pack them in a cooler until you return home.

Taking the extra time to follow these precautionary measures ensures your food remains safe, letting you enjoy a summer full of delightful outdoor dining experiences!