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Don’t be hasty, remember food safety!

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Summer picnics can be a time to enjoy family and friends. Keep the party enjoyable by paying close attention to food safety.

Food safety is important all year long but especially in the hot summer months when bacteria are in their glory! It is important to keep you, your family and friends safe from food poisoning so your party isn’t ruined.

Keep these ideas in mind for your next BBQ:

  • Marinate foods in the refrigerator – never on the kitchen counter or outdoors. Also, if you plan to use some of the marinade as a sauce on the cooked food, keep some separate before putting it on the raw meat.
  • Use different platters or utensils after they have touched raw meat. Have fresh platters and utensils ready at grill-side to serve your food.
  • Make sure that nothing else gets in the food. If you clean your grill using a bristle brush, make sure that no detached bristles have made their way into grilled food. Check for stinging insects that can make their way onto the platter or in the food as well.

No one wants food poisoning and no one wants to serve food to people that could make them sick. When you are picnic partying this summer keep these four steps to food safety in mind.

  • Wash/Clean
    • Wash your hands (20 seconds, warm soapy water)
    • Wash your produce (fruits and vegetables only in warm running water)
    • Wash your surfaces (with bleach solution or antibacterial kitchen cleaner)
  • Separate
    • Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods
    • Use different cutting boards for meat than other foods
    • Once raw meat has touched something, it needs to be sanitized before it’s next use
  • Cook/Keep Warm
    • Cook raw meat to an appropriate temperature
      • Steak: 145°F (Allow to rest for 3 minutes before carving or consuming)
      • Hamburgers: 160°F
      • Chicken: 165°F
    • Keep foods that need to be served warm at 140F or hotter
    • Use crock pots, warming plates, or other warm methods of serving foods
  • Chill/Keep Cold
    • In the summer put food in the refrigerator after 1 hour (2 hours other times of year)
    • Keep foods cold at 40 or cooler
    • Use cold methods of serving cold food(serve on ice or in an ice bath)

Food poisoning is terrible, just ask anyone who has had it. Keep you, your family and friends food safe this summer and enjoy the time spent sharing in the beautiful weather and time together!

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About the author

Amanda Dolan is a Senior Health Education Consultant and Registered Dietitian with Capital BlueCross. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Messiah College. Following her B.S. she obtained a Master of Science in Food and Nutrition from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) while completing an accredited Dietetic Internship through IUP. Amanda is a Registered Dietitian licensed in the state of Pennsylvania.


Michael Williams
Michael Williams

Multimedia Producer at WITF

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