As cookout season kicks off and cooking outdoors increases, it’s important to keep food safety in mind. Warm weather is not just great for grilling, it’s also ideal for harmful bacteria to grow. So, it’s important to protect your friends and family from foodborne illnesses this summer!
Foodborne illnesses are caused by harmful bacteria, viruses, and other agents that get into food. The top five risk factors include:
- Not washing your hands before preparing food or when changing tasks
- Not keeping food at the correct temperatures (hot or cold)
- Undercooking food
- Cross-contact between raw and cooked foods
- Using foods from unsafe sources
Washing your hands is one of the best ways to prevent illness.
- Always wash your hands before cooking, eating, and after using the bathroom.
- Wash your hands often for 20 seconds with soap and water.
- Scout your gathering location in advance.
- Is there a handwashing sink near your gathering location? If not, bring a jug of clean water, soap, and paper towels to wash your hands.
A clean setup is key to keeping everyone safe and preventing cross-contact of raw and ready-to-eat foods.
- Wash utensils, cutting boards, dishes, and grills with hot, soapy water.
- Avoid cross-contact by keeping raw meat away from fruit, vegetables, and cooked foods.
- Keep raw meats and poultry separated from other food in your shopping cart and coolers.
- Use separate utensils for raw and cooked foods.
- Use different trays for raw and cooked meat when grilling.
- Wash fruits and vegetables well before storing them in a cooler.
Proper cooking helps prevent illness.
- Cook food to the right temperature. Food should be cooked to the minimum internal temperature to eliminate harmful bacteria.
- Use a food thermometer to ensure you have reached the correct safe temperatures.
- After your food is cooked, keep hot foods hot (135oF or above).
- Never partially grill meat to finish cooking later.
- Do not wash raw chicken before cooking
Keep food temps in mind
- Keep cold foods cold (41oF or below).
- Refrigerate or keep foods in a cooler.
- Keep coolers in the shade and away from direct sunlight.
- Use ice packs to keep refrigerated foods, like desserts and salads, cold.
- Vacuum packaged fish should be removed from packaging before thawing. This helps prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, which can cause serious foodborne illness.
Store leftovers well, too
- Compost food left out for more than two hours.
- Refrigerate any leftovers in shallow containers to allow the food to cool promptly.
- Freeze foods you won’t eat within 2-3 days to keep them fresher longer.
- Eat refrigerated leftovers within 2-3 days
Food safety doesn’t have to be difficult. Let’s make food safety a community effort at every cookout.
Share these tips with your friends and family to make cookouts safe and enjoyable for everyone.