Food Safety While Eating Outdoors

SILVER SPRING, Md., July 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Summer is the perfect time for picnics and barbecues. During these outdoor gatherings, it’s important to keep food safety in mind. This time of year is a favorite for foodborne bacteria that cause foodborne illness (also known as food poisoning), because they multiply faster at temperatures between 40°F and 140°F. Follow these tips to keep you and your loved ones safe when eating outdoors.

Before your picnic or barbecue

• Defrost meat, poultry, and seafood separately in the refrigerator. If you thaw by completely submerging under running cold water or defrost in the microwave, cook the food immediately afterward.
• Never reuse marinade that touched raw foods unless you boil it first. Instead, you can set some of the marinade aside before marinating food to use for sauce later.
• Marinate foods in the fridge, not the countertop.
• Wash all produce before eating, even if you plan to peel it. The knife you use to peel it can spread bacteria into the part you eat. Produce that is pre-cut or peeled should be refrigerated or kept on ice to maintain quality and safety.
• If your picnic site doesn’t offer clean water access, bring water and soap or pack moist disposable towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands.
• Don’t forget to pack a food thermometer!

Packing coolers

• Place food from the refrigerator directly into an insulated cooler immediately before leaving home.
• Use ice or ice packs to keep your cooler at 40 °F or below.
• Pack raw meat, poultry, and seafood in a separate cooler, or wrap it securely and store at the bottom of the cooler where the juices can’t drip onto other foods.
• Place beverages in a separate cooler; this will offer easy drink access while keeping perishable food coolers closed.
• Minimize the time coolers are held in the trunk of the car, as the trunk can get very hot. Bacteria can multiply rapidly at high temperatures. Once at the picnic site, keep coolers out of direct sun, keep food in coolers until serving time, and avoid opening the lids often.

Grilling

• Have clean utensils and platters available. Cook meat, poultry, and seafood to the right temperatures ─ use a food thermometer to be sure (see FDA’s Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures Chart). Keep cooked meats hot at 140 °F or warmer until serving time — set them to the side of the grill rack to keep them hot.
• When removing foods from the grill, place them on a clean platter. Never use the same platter and utensils for cooked food that you used for raw meat, poultry, or seafood.

Time and temperature 

Don’t let hot or cold food sit in the “Danger Zone” (between 40 °F and 140 °F) for more than 2 hours – or 1 hour if the outdoor temperature is above 90 °F. If they do, throw them away.

Learn more about how you can keep your food safe while eating outdoors:

• https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/handling-food-safely-while-eating-outdoors
• https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/barbecue-basics-tips-prevent-foodborne-illness

Contact:  Media: 1-301-796-4540  Consumers: 1-888-SAFEFOOD (toll free)

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SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration