How to Ensure Your Food Stays Safe at Picnics

Ensuring that your picnic is safe for all who eat is a very important task. Here are some tips on how to ensure your food is safe.

Keep it Clean

Keep your hands and all surfaces clean. Take along sanitizer wipes to ensure that all of your surfaces are clean.

Separate

Avoid cross contamination by bringing extra plates and utensils. Make sure to mark which utensils are meant to use on raw materials and cooked materials. Simply carrying two different colors of tape can make this an easy, temporary fix.

Keep all uncooked foods separate from cooked foods during transport, even if you just seal them in airtight containers.

Cook Food Properly

Take along a food thermometer that is meant for grilling to ensure your foods are cooked to proper temperatures. Do not partially cook foods before transport and finish them when you get there.

Chill Foods

Keep perishable foods below 40 degrees F. by packing them in a cooler of ice. Make sure the cooler is packed full so that it maintains it temperature.

Thaw all meat, fish and poultry in the refrigerator before transport.

Take two insulated coolers, one for drinks and one for perishable foods. Do not pack perishable foods until just before you leave.

Keep foods in the cooler until you need them. Only remove raw foods when you are ready to cook them.

Throw away all food that is not eaten within two hours of being cooked. If it is above 80 degrees, dispose of food within one hour.

Toting and Serving Hot Foods

When serving hot foods, keep them at 140 degrees F. Use heavy aluminum foil to wrap the container tightly.

If you are not sure, Don't eat it!!!!!!!!!

If you are not sure if the food was cooked correctly or served correctly, do not eat it.