Food Safety Tips for Picnic

Submitted by Vartika on April 19, 2010

Food Safety Tips for Picnic

A picnic is an opportunity for outdoor fun with family and friends, but it also brings food borne bacteria during warm weather conditions. Food borne bacteria multiplies rapidly and spoils the food during the increased temperature in summer. It is a matter of concern to have healthy food and food that can cause food borne illnesses.

Eating outdoors is great fun, though it has its own special challenges, and if we are not careful while planning, transporting, and serving food at the picnic, the outing could be spoiled. To protect your family, friends, and yourself from food borne illness, here are a few simple food safety tips to follow while eating outdoors.

Keep food cold: You must place cold, perishable food in a cooler and fill at least one-fourth of the cooler with frozen gel packs or just plain ice cubes. Such foods should always be stored at a maximum temperaure 40°F until they are served. This protects the food from bacterial growth.

Once served, it should not sit out for more than 2 hours, and if it does, you must discard it.
Keep hot food hot: You must store hot food in an insulated container at 140° F or above until serving. Just as with cold food, throw away the hot food if it is out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if outdoor temperature is above 90° F.
Organize cooler contents: You must pack beverages and perishable food like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and salads in separate coolers because you open beverages coolers more often. By doing this, you can reduce the chances of exposing perishable food to the warm outdoor temperature and keep the contents cold for longer.
Do not cross-contaminate foods: You must ensure that you wrap raw meat, poultry, and seafood separately and place them at the bottom of the cooler.

Never, reuse utensils holding raw meat, poultry, or seafood to serve unless washed with hot water and soap. This keeps any juices from theese raw foods from contaminating cooked or ready-to-eat food.
Clean your produce: You must clean firm-skinned fresh fruits and vegetables well under running water. After that you should allow the fruits and vegetablkes to dry completely before packing them in the cooler.

You can use a clean cloth or paper towel to ensure that they are completely dry.
Keep everything clean: You must use soap and water or moist disposable paper towels to clean your hands before preparation and eating. Also, ensure that all utensils and platters are clean before serving food.
Handle coolers properly: You must pack coolers until they are full, as a full cooler will stay cold longer than a partially filled one. In addition, you must never put coolers in the car trunk; instead carry them inside an air-conditioned car. Even after reaching the picnic spot, keep the coolers in the shade with lids closed. Keep replenishing the ice as and when it melts.
Cook to Proper Temperatures: You must ensure that meat is cooked thoroughly at the recommended temperatures so that it destroys bacteria. Safe cooking temperature for hamburgers and ribs is 160° F or until the center is no longer pink, 170° F for chicken breasts, 180° F for a whole chicken, wings, and thighs, 160° F to 170° F for pork, and 145° F for seafood.
The best way to check the temperature is to use a meat thermometer. You must not let food stand partially cooked for any period. Also, do not put cooked items on the same platter as raw meat unless washed properly.