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From Potluck to Picnic: Summer Food Safety Tips You Need to Know

It's officially picnic season! Sunny, warmer days make eating outside a no-brainer. But anytime that you prepare and travel with food, especially in warm weather, you should take certain precautions to ensure that your meal is safe. Here are our top tips for summer food safety.

  1. Keep meats separate. This guideline really applies year-round, but it's especially important when you're packing up a picnic that consists of both fresh produce and raw meats that are ready to grill. From the time you place them in your shopping cart until they're slapped on the hot grill, make sure that you keep any raw meat, poultry, or seafood carefully separate from ready-to-eat foods. Raw animal products can quickly spread foodborne illnesses when handled improperly.
  2. Wash produce thoroughly. Fresh fruits and veggies abound in the summer months, so you'll obviously want them in your picnic cooler. Before you pack them up, however, make sure to wash them thoroughly under running water. This will rid them of any lingering bits of dirt and help remove pesticide residue.
  3. Pack your cooler carefully. Make sure that your cooler is loaded with enough ice to keep all of your cold and perishable foods at a safe temperature (40 degrees or cooler). You can help maintain this chilly temp by packing your cooler full, all the way to the top, and opening it only when necessary. You may want to put drinks in a separate cooler, since picnic guests will likely go back many times to grab a fresh beverage.
  4. Cook to safe internal temps. Once you have the picnic set up and start grilling burgers and chicken, make sure you check the temperature before removing the meat from the grill. Bring along a meat thermometer and double-check that it's 145 degrees for whole cuts of meat and fish, 160 for ground meats, or 165 for poultry and hot dogs.

Summer and Vacations [FoodSafety.gov]
Eating Outdoors, Handling Food Safely [FDA]
Get Ready to Grill Safely [CDC]

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