How to have a safe picnic this summer

(Lancaster) — Fourth of July brings fireworks, parades, and lots of flag waving.

But food also plays a big role and for many, America’s birthday means picnics.

But how do you keep the pasta salad, meats, and desserts safe to eat in the stifling heat?

Here are the tips you need to have a safe picnic, from Larry Grunden at Penn State Extension’s Dauphin County office:

1. Keep perishable foods cool by keeping them in an insulated cooler with ice or frozen gel packs.  Open the cooler as little as possible.
2. Keep raw foods separated from cooked foods or foods intended to be eaten raw.
3. Throw ready-to-eat foods out after an hour in the heat.
4. Keep foods from the danger zone of 40 to 140 degrees, and pay special attention to 70 to 125 degrees. If it sits at that point, bacteria can double every 20 minutes.
5. If food hits the danger zone, either cook it or put it in a refrigerator.
6. Use a thermometer to check that meat is cooked.
7. Use separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked meat, poultry and seafood.
8. Wash the surface of melons before slicing them.  Be sure to slice melons on clean surfaces with clean knives.
9. Pack disposable towelettes in case there are no facilities to wash your hands.
10. Use plastic coolers instead of styrofoam – they’re easier to clean after use.

Fool-proof foods: Potato chips instead of potato salad; washed, whole fruit instead of fruit salad; cookies or brownies instead of a cream-filled pie.

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