Summer is the perfect time to relish good food and enjoy eating outdoors. But as the temperature rises, so does the risk of food borne illness. Hot, humid weather creates the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow.
So while you're prepping your picnic and beginning to bbq, always follow these four steps when handling and preparing food.
Clean
Wash hands and surfaces often to avoid the spread of bacteria. Wash your hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food, and after handling raw meats or poultry, using the bathroom, touching pets or changing diapers. Always wash raw fruits and vegetables in clean water. You cannot tell whether foods carry surface bacteria by the way they look, smell or taste.
Separate
Keep raw meats and poultry separate from cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination. When you pack a cooler for an outing, wrap uncooked meats and poultry securely, and put them on the bottom to prevent raw juices from dripping onto other foods. Wash all plates, utensils, and cutting boards that touched or held raw meat or poultry before using them again for other foods.
Cook
Make sure you kill harmful bacteria by properly cooking food. Traditional visual cues like colour are not a guarantee that food is safe. Don't guess! Take a digital instant-read food thermometer along to check when meat and poultry are safe to eat.
Chill
Keep cold food cold. Perishable foods that are normally in the refrigerator, such as luncheon meats, cooked meat, chicken, and potato or pasta salads, must be kept in an insulated cooler with freezer packs or blocks of ice to keep the temperature at 4 C (40 F). Put leftovers back in the cooler as soon as you are finished eating. The simple rule is: When in doubt, throw it out.
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