How to Avoid Food Borne Illness When Picnicking

In the summer time I like to go on picnics in the park or go for a long drive to the coast for a picnic there. There is something about eating out doors beneath the blue sky and among the greenery that makes one feel free and close to nature. However, having picnics can cause food borne illnesses. The illnesses are caused by bacteria that settles in food through improper handling, such as under cooking and improper storage. The illnesses causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

After getting sick from eating at several picnics, I came up with ways to avoid catching food borne illnesses.

Foods Not To Eat At Picnics
Meat
Do not cook meat at picnics. Raw meat contains bacteria naturally. When handling raw meat away from the kitchen one is not able to wash hands, dishes, and utensils properly with soapy hot water. As a result, when other food is handled it is at risk of getting contaminated.

Fruit and Vegetables
Do not take fruit salads made of precut fruits, such as melons, bananas, pineapples, and oranges on picnic. Do not take vegetable salads. Cut fruits and vegetables store in large bowls, not properly covered, and not properly chilled are good hosts for bacteria. Cook peppers have been known to cause food poisoning when dishes made with peppers are not refrigerated or kept hot.

Eggs
Do not take on picnics eggs dishes such as egg salad and deviled eggs. When not refrigerated at a cold temperature eggs can develop sickening bacteria.

Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise being an egg based product can cause sickness when it is left unrefrigerated and is in a warm temperature. So do not use mayonnaise in food dishes to be taken on picnics.

Food To Take On Picnics
Tofu Hot Dogs
I found that tofu hot dogs are an excellent substitute for meat on a picnic. They are very easy to prepare at the picnic site. They only need to be cooked for five minutes in boiling hot water.

Cream Cheese
In dishes, such as potatoes salad and macaroni salad, that requires mayonnaise use cream cheese instead of mayonnaise.

Fruit
Use whole, uncut fruits, such as apples, oranges, bananas, plums, and peaches. Also use such fruits as cherries, grapes, strawberries, and blue berries. Whole, uncut fruits are safe to eat regardless of what temperature they are kept in. Before packing the fruit to take on a picnic, always was the fruit thoroughly in hot water. Do not remove the grapes and cherries from their stems.

Vegetables
Do not take any cooked vegetables. When preparing vegetable salads wash the lettuce, tomatoes, and all other vegetables in hot water thoroughly.

Eggs
For those who have to have eggs at a picnic take plain hard boiled eggs. Let the eggs remain in their shells until eating time at the picnic.

Sandwiches
Sandwiches are a good food to take on a picnic. They are easy to prepare. The best sandwiches to take on a picnic are:

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches- Peanut butter and jelly is safe to eat in any temperature it is stored. As a child in elementary school, my friends and I had eaten many warm peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Non of us ever got sick.

Bologna Sandwiches- Bologna sandwiches are good to take on a picnic. However, when preparing the sandwiches do not include the condiments, such as mayonnaise, mustard, catchup...etc. when making the sandwiches only includes the bologna and a since of cheese.

Do not take egg sandwiches. Bacteria can easily develop in the chopped eggs.

Packing Food For A Picnic
The way in which food is packed plays an important role in preventing food borne illness. Instead of putting food in large bowls and containers, divide the food into portions and store the portions in individual personal size containers with tight lock lids or in zip lock sandwich bags. Sandwiches should be packed individually in sandwich bags. Fruits such as cherries, grapes, and berries should also be packed in portions in sandwich bags or small containers. Salads should also be divided in portions and put in personalized food containers with tight lids.

Packing portions individually protects food from contamination. The only person who touches the food is the one who eats the food. Also I found that individually packed portions cool quicker in the cooler.

Condiments
Do not take jars and bottles of mayonnaise, mustard, catchup and other condiments. The jars and bottles of condiments must be refrigerate after uses, which is impossible to do at a picnic. So instead, take on the picnic those little individual condiment packets, the kind at fast food restaurants.

Picnicking can be fun. Yet one must be careful about food preparations to avoid food borne illness.