Don't Let Food Poisoning

Rain on Your Parade       

 

by: Johanna Hicks
Hopkins County Agri-Life Extension Agent

 

Ants are pesky little things when it comes to summer picnics, but they are nothing compared to food-borne bacteria from improperly handled, prepared or stored foods.  Rebecca Dittmar, AgriLife Extension associate for Food Protection Management, confirms what I've been teaching for years...you can't see, smell or taste food-borne bacteria, but hot temperatures accelerate the production of bacteria that contain toxins which may cause food poisoning.     

Symptoms of food-borne illness include fever or headache, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea.  Picnic foods typically require a lot of handling, and the more foods are handled, the greater the risk of contamination.      

The key guidelines to follow for better picnic food safety are: clean, separate, cook and chill.  Let's start with 'clean.'  Hands, surfaces and utensils should be clean.  Since many picnic areas may not have easy access to running water, it's a good idea to bring your own dish washing soap and water, hand sanitizer or anti-bacterial wipes.  Use a separate cutting board for fresh produce and raw meats.  Foods to be grilled on site should be securely wrapped so juices don't drip onto other foods.  This prevents cross-contamination.    

 

 

 

 

The 'separate' component includes keeping cold things cold and hot things hot until you are ready to use/eat them.  Also, remember to keep foods covered to keep out insects and other objects.     

Extension suggests cooking steaks and fish to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees.  Pork and hamburgers are best cooked to 160.  If hamburger patties are red or pink in the center, put them back on the grill!  A food thermometer is a small but valuable investment for helping ensure food safety.  I have provided these to Head Start parents who attended my "Food Safety and You" class at the Early Childhood Learning Center.  They will agree that the thermometers are easy to use and guarantee that the meats are cooked properly.     

Cold foods should be kept in a cooler.  En route to you picnic destination, keep the cooler in the interior of the vehicle, not the trunk.  Once you get to the picnic site, place the cooler in the shade and open it only when necessary.     

Cooked meat, poultry, fish or seafood should be eaten right away.  Avoid prolonged food exposure for more than an hour when it's 90 degrees or hotter.  The clock is also ticking on any foods remaining in the cooler once the ice has melted.  There is about a two-hour maximum window for safely consuming food after the ice in the cooler has become water.      

Remember the best rule of thumb: when in doubt, throw it out!  

Closing Thought In dedication to the memory of Chris Bennett - Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.  

Johanna Hicks
Texas AgriLife Extension Service - Hopkins County
Extension Agent - Family & Consumer Sciences
1200 Houston Street
Sulphur Springs, TX 75482 Phone: 903-885-3443
Fax: 903-439-4909
e-mail: jshicks@ag.tamu.edu

 

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