Follow food safety rules all summer
- col-kate-shumaker
- June 28, 2024
- 467
Improperly handled food could result in an unwanted souvenir — foodborne illness. If you could simply tuck a refrigerator under one arm and take it with you, there wouldn’t be a problem with keeping food safe.
We each need to be aware of food-safety risks and practices at all times, but especially so in warm weather. At warm temperatures it takes less time for cold foods to reach the temperature “Danger Zone.” Food is in the “Danger Zone” when it is between 40 F and 140 F. In this temperature range, food-poisoning bacteria multiply very quickly.
Food safety doesn’t start when you put the food in the cooler. Perishable food must be kept cold or frozen at the store and at home. Then it must be kept cold or cooked and chilled. Food should not be out of the refrigerator or oven longer than two hours. On a really hot day (over 90 F), this recommended time is reduced to one hour. If cooking foods such as turkey, ham, chicken, and vegetable or pasta salads to take with you, prepare them in plenty of time to thoroughly chill in the refrigerator before you pack them to go. Keep hot foods hot and cold food cold until it is time to leave home.
When taking food away from home on a picnic, try to plan just the right amount of perishable foods to take — that way you won’t have to worry about the storage or safety of leftovers. Items that don’t require refrigeration include fruits, vegetables, hard cheese, canned meat or fish, chips, bread, crackers, peanut butter, jelly, mustard and pickles.
Plan ahead
Have plenty of ice or frozen gel-packs on hand before you start packing. Perishable foods, like meat, poultry, eggs and fish, do require refrigeration, so if you’re taking summer salads, making sandwiches on the road or bringing food to cook, plan to keep them on ice in your cooler.
Pack safely
Pack perishables directly from the refrigerator to the cooler. You can pack meat and poultry while it is still frozen. It will thaw during the trip, extending its safety and shelf-life. A full cooler will maintain its cold temperature longer than one that is only partially filled. Pack the remaining space with more ice or with fruit and nonperishable foods.
Keep bacteria from spreading
Wash your hands again after working with raw meat or poultry and before handling other food. Don’t reuse utensils, plates or bowls you used with the raw product — either for the cooked meat or another food. Place cooked meat or poultry on a clean plate, using clean utensils for serving.
Keep hands and utensils clean
Protect your family from disease-causing bacteria by keeping hands and utensils clean. If soap and water will not be available, pack plenty of moist towelettes.
Cook everything thoroughly
Hamburger patties, pork chops and ribs should be cooked until all the pink is gone; poultry until there is no red in the joints; and fresh fish until it flakes with a fork. Steak? If you like your steak rare or medium rare, remember some food-poisoning organisms can survive such short cooking times.
Preserve the cold
Put the cooler in the passenger section of the car instead of in the hot trunk. Once at the picnic area, put coolers and picnic baskets in a shady area. Frequently opening the cooler lid will cause the inside temperature to decrease.
When in doubt, throw it out
Pitch any foods that warm above refrigerator temperature (40 F). Food-poisoning bacteria grow rapidly at warm temperatures. At the end of the day, discard any meat or poultry left over. Unless you can be positive the leftovers have been kept cold, it’s best to throw it out and not take the risk of eating foods that may make you sick.
For more information check out Handling Food Safely While Eating Outdoors at https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/handling-food-safely-while-eating-outdoors.
Kate Shumaker is an OSU Extension family and consumer sciences educator and may be called at 330-674-3015. Like and follow on Facebook @OSUEXTHolmes or visit https://holmes.osu.edu.