Combat Against Foodborne Illnesses in Summer

Combat Against Foodborne Illnesses in Summer

It's true. Foodborne illnesses do increase during the summer months, according to the USDA. The reason for this is natural causes (bacteria grows fastest in very hot, moist weather) and human causes (outside eating increases in the summer). So learn how to keep your summer foods and summer cooking safe.

Here are some government guidelines:

1. Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers and handling pets.

2. When eating away from home, find out if there's a source of clean water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Or pack clean, wet, disposable washcloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.

3. When packing the cooler chest for an outing, wrap raw meats securely; avoid raw meat juices from coming in contact with ready-to-eat food.

4. Wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards that held the raw meat or poultry before using again for cooked food.

5. Take your thermometer along. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside, so be sure that meats are cooked thoroughly. Check them with a food thermometer.

6. Cook hamburger and other ground meats (veal, lamb, and pork) to an internal temperature of 160 F and ground poultry to 165 F.

7. Cook steaks and roasts that have been tenderized, boned, rolled, etc., to an internal temperature of 160 F for medium and 170 F for well-done. Whole steaks and roasts may be cooked to 145 F for medium rare.

8. Whole poultry should be cooked to 180 F in the thigh; breast meat to 170 F.
Cook meat and poultry completely at the picnic site. Partial cooking of food ahead of time allows bacteria to survive and multiply to the point that subsequent cooking cannot destroy them.

9. Cold refrigerated perishable food like luncheon meats, cooked meats, chicken, and potato or pasta salads should be kept in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, ice packs, or containers of frozen water.

10. Consider packing canned beverages in one cooler and perishable food in another cooler because the beverage cooler will probably be opened frequently.

11. Keep the cooler in the coolest part of the car, and place in the shade or shelter, out of the sun, whenever possible.

12. Preserve the cold temperature of the cooler by replenishing the ice as soon as it starts melting.

13. If a cooler chest is not an option, consider taking fruits, vegetables, hard cheeses, canned or dried meats, dried cereal, bread, peanut butter, crackers, and a bottle of refreshing beverage.

14. Take-out food: If you don't plan to eat take-out food within 2 hours of purchase, plan ahead and chill the food in your refrigerator before packing for your outing.
Food left out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours may not be safe to eat. At 90 F or above, food should not be left out over 1 hour. Play it safe; put leftover perishables back on ice once you finish eating so they do not spoil or become unsafe to eat.

15. If you have any doubts, throw it out!