Keeping Your Food Safe During the Summer

You are more likely to get food poisoning in the summer than during the rest of the year. Bacteria grow fastest in warm weather, growing especially quickly when the temperature is in the 90 to 110 degree range. On top of that, more people cook and eat outdoors during the summer months, taking their food outside, away from the refrigerators and sinks which help keep food-borne illness at bay.

You can help keep your food safe by taking some simple precautions when you prepare and store food:

If you're going to eat outside, keep your food as cold as possible. Wait until the last minute before you take the food out of the refrigerator. Use an insulated cooler packed with ice or cold-gel packs. Carry the cooler in the passenger part of your car, rather than in the trunk. When you get to your destination, keep the cooler in the shade. Open it as infrequently as possible.

Avoid foods that spoil quickly. Substitute safer foods. For example, use mustard instead of mayonnaise. One thing that many people don't realize is that such perennial picnic favorites as watermelon, cantaloupe, and other melons are easily infected by bacteria when they are cut up. So avoid cutting them up in advance, or if you do, make sure to keep them cold until you are ready to eat.

When cooking and eating at home, put any leftovers away in the refrigerator right away, rather than leaving them out on the counter. Defrost foods in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in a bowl of cold water, instead of leaving them out at room temperature.

Wash your hands before you are prepare or eat food. Wipe down any surfaces that you place the food on. Bring water or towelettes with you if there isn't going to be clean drinking-quality water available at your picnic or barbeque site for washing and wiping

If you are carrying raw meat, wrap it well to prevent meat juices from geting into your other food.

If you cooking on a grill, make sure that your food is thoroughly cooked all the way through. Grilled foods often brown quickly on the outside before being completely cooked inside. Bring a food thermometer with you to check the internal temperature.

Finally, remember this little maxim: When in doubt, throw it out.

For more information, see: USDA Fact Sheet: Foodborne Illness Peaks in Summer - Why?