Food Safety: How to Keep Food Safe in the Summer

With summer quickly approaching, there are many outdoor gatherings to look forward to, from backyard BBQs and pool parties to picnics and tailgates. But in warm weather, it’s more challenging to keep your food safe from harmful pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses.

Follow these packing, food prep, cooking, and storage tips to prevent food-borne illnesses from ruining your summer fun.

General Packing

• Bring a cooler with ice to pack meat, poultry, and seafood in for times when you can’t go straight home after the supermarket.
• Always keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood wrapped securely to keep juices from contaminating other foods. Pack them in their own bags at the store and, when taking them somewhere, keep them in a separate cooler, apart from other foods.
• Pack two sets of plates and utensils so you’ll have one set to use for raw foods and another to use with cooked foods.
• Bring soap, a gallon of water, and some paper towels if you’ll be at a park or someplace you won’t have access to running water so you can wash your hands when needed.

Cooler Specifics

• A full cooler will maintain cold temperatures longer than a partially filled one, so bring plenty of extra ice to ensure everything stays cold.
• Keep your cooler out of the direct sun and limit the number of times it’s opened. Since beverages are frequently sought after, store drinks in a separate cooler from foods.

Food Prep

• Unwashed hands are one of the main causes of foodborne illness. Wash your hands thoroughly with warm soap and water before and after handling food.
• Always marinate food in the refrigerator, rather than on a kitchen counter or outside. And don’t reuse marinade that has touched raw meat.
• Don’t reuse platters or utensils that have touched raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

Cooking

• Cook food thoroughly and use a food thermometer to ensure the proper internal temperature has been reached.
• Cooked foods from the grill shouldn’t be exposed to the heat and sun for more than an hour. Grill in batches, only making enough for what you think will be eaten within an hour. Store extra meats in the cooler until they’re ready to go on the grill.
• Keep cooked meats on the side of the grill rack to keep them hot.

Storage

• Wrap hot food well and place it in an insulated container until serving.
• Toss out any food, both cooked and uncooked, that’s been left out for over an hour. Leftovers that are still good should be placed directly in the refrigerator or freezer. If out, pack them in a cooler until you get home.

The extra time involved to follow these precautionary measures will be well worth the effort. Keep your food safe and you’ll have a wonderful summer full of enjoyable outdoor dining adventures!