Don’t let food-related illnesses ruin your fun in the sun! Joe Frazier, environmental health director at the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency, shares how to prepare, serve and store food during summer gatherings.
Food Safety Risks
The biggest risk when cooking and eating food outside is food poisoning, often caused by improper food handling.
Food poisoning symptoms can occur immediately after eating, but certain types, like norovirus, take 8-12 hours to show symptoms. You might experience chills, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea as a result of food poisoning.
Food Safety Tips
It is impossible to have a completely sterile environment while cooking and eating meals, but by following a few safety tips, you can reduce your risk of food poisoning this summer.
The dirtiest tool we use while cooking is our hands. When cooking outdoors, make sure you have a way to keep your hands clean. Soap and water are ideal because they remove debris and harmful bacteria, but hand sanitizer will work in a pinch. Make sure you always thoroughly wash your hands after using the restroom.
Take out the guesswork for food-safe temperature and use a meat thermometer when cooking meat. The correct temperature depends on the type of meat: cook fish and shellfish to 145 degrees, beef and pork to 155 degrees, and chicken to 165 degrees.
As a general rule when serving meals, keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. If you’re bringing food to a picnic, keep cold food in a closed cooler until it’s time to eat.
If you are experiencing food poisoning and are concerned about dehydration or an infection, visit your local walk-in or primary care clinic. In severe cases, go to the emergency room.
