Feature Articles
Keep Food Safe for Summer Picnics
Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist in Barton County University of Missouri Extension
Keeping food safe to eat is always a top priority but summer is a good time to take inventory of your food safety habits. Summer picnics and other outdoor events where food is served can be fertile breeding ground for foodborne illness.
When it comes to food safety, temperature is critically
important. Illness-causing bacteria grow best at
temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The
middle of that danger zone is 90 degrees and that is a
temperature at which bacteria grow quickly. Because our
special events such as our picnics and family gatherings
are often outdoors in that 90 degree temperature, it is
particularly important to pay special attention to food
safety.
Bacteria that cause foodborne illness thrive well in
protein-containing foods. To keep meat safe to eat you
must handle it with care. That special care starts at
the grocery store. Try to choose your meat products at
the end of your shopping trip so they spend as little
time as possible away from the refrigerator. Once you
get them home, refrigerate or freeze promptly. Always
thaw meat in the refrigerator and not on the counter
top. If meat is thawed at room temperature, the outside
can thaw and reach that danger zone long before the
inside thaws. If you are going to marinate your meat, do
so in the refrigerator or ice chest and then promptly
discard the marinade. Adding used marinade to cooked
meats can contaminate them. Be sure to cook meat
thoroughly and then store at 40 degrees or less.
Food safety experts usually recommend that food not be
left out in the danger zone longer than two hours. This
advice is for when meals are served indoors at
temperatures around 70 degrees. When the temperature is
90 degrees the food needs to out for as little time as
possible. Keep ice chests handy for quick cool storage.
An important factor in preventing foodborne illness is
hand washing. Hands can spread bacteria from one food
source to the other. Hands should be washed often. Be
sure and take a supply of antiseptic towelettes in case
there is no water supply.
Picnics, ballgames and family gatherings don’t have
happy endings if foodborne illness is the result. Just
remember to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold for a
happy ending for your special gathering.
Last Updated 10/25/2007
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