Celebrate International Picnic Day with these tips to keep food safe

Warm weather picnics and barbecues are occasions when foodborne bacteria can flourish, so remember to handle food safely.

International Picnic Day on June 18 is a day to focus on enjoying the outdoors and eating with friends and family. With warm weather, special care must be given to the transportation of all food and the safe preparation and serving of perishable foods. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that “Foodborne illnesses increase during the summer months, making it even more important to follow food safety steps.”

Michigan State University Extension and the United States Food and Drug Administration recommend these tips:

Keep food cold:  Use frozen ice packs or ice packed with cold or frozen food in coolers. If storing meat, seafood, or poultry it can be packed frozen. Maintain temperature in cooler at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and use thermometers to monitor temperatures.

Organize cooler contents:  Separate beverages in one cooler and perishable food in another. Remember to keep coolers closed. Hot weather can cause food to perish quickly or become unsafe.

Don’t Cross Contaminate:  Keep raw meats wrapped securely. Store fruits and vegetables separately. Utensils need care also if used on raw meats, seafood or poultry.  Wash with soap and water before using them to serve food to your family and friends.

Clean your fruits and veggies:  Rinse all produce under clean running water. Use a vegetable brush on “thick skinned” produce like cantaloupe, then dry produce with a clean paper towel.

Hand cleaning outdoors:  A gallon of clean water, soap and paper towel can be used, or use moist towelettes.

Enjoy Picnic Day and all of your summer outdoor meals with family and friends.  Just remember to follow these tips to keep food safety and minimize the spread of foodborne pathogens

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