Outdoor Food Safety

July is National Picnic Month, and we encourage you to pack up some food and head out to your favorite picnic spot. Although you may think you know everything there is to know
about packing your favorite food and drinks, we have some great food safety tips to be aware of this summer.

Buy a cooler to keep cold food cold. You want to make sure you pack your cooler correctly with ice and to keep the temperature below 40°F to prevent and bacterial growth. Keep it organized and consider getting a second cooler for drinks so the cooler with perishable items doesn’t keep getting opened and closed.

Clean your produce and your hands. This will help with the ingestion of possible chemicals that could be left over from the farm/grocery store. Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands when handling any and all foods. Do not cross contaminate. With raw fish, meat and poultry make sure to keep them separately wrapped before cooking/grilling. Similarly do not leave raw meat in the sun; store in cold cooler until ready to be cooked.

Prepare food to safe temperature. When cooking meats, especially when grilling make sure you are heating the internal temperature to the proper, safe cooking temperature. You can buy small meat thermometers at most grocery stores.

Next time you pack your cooler or picnic basket and head
out to the park we hope these tips come in handy!

Source: http://www.fda.gov/