Follow these tips for safe summer cookouts
I’m Tonya Webster, WIC health professional with Coshocton County Health Department. Today we are going to talk about food safety, based on information from Ohio WIC, the Ohio Department of Health and www.fightbac.org.
Summer means cookouts. Cookouts can be a great way to celebrate holidays outdoors, and using simple food-safety tips can prevent food-borne illness like salmonella and e. coli.
Food-borne illness can cause vomiting, diarrhea and fever. It can be very serious for babies, young children, pregnant women, older people and people with medical conditions. No one wants this.
The first tip to prevent food-borne illness is to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before preparing food, after handling raw meat and before eating. This simple step lowers the risk of contamination. Using utensils to serve food also lowers the number of hands touching food.
Next, keep food in the safe-temperature range. For cold foods, use a cooler with ice or ice packs to keep the food below 41 F. Fill the cooler to capacity. A full cooler will maintain its cold temperatures longer than one that is partially filled. If cold food has been over 41 F for more than two hours, throw it away.
Keep hot foods hot (over 135 F) in an insulated container. If hot food has been less than 135 F for over two hours, reheat it to an internal temperature of 165 F or throw it away.
Separate raw meat from other foods like fruits, veggies and ready-to-eat foods. Meat can have harmful bacteria before it is cooked. Wash utensils, dishes and cutting boards with hot, soapy water after handling raw meat.
Careful food-handling can help you stay food safe this summer.