Weekly Nutrition Tips: Practice Picnic Food Safety
May 25th, 2007
This weekend while out at your Memorial Day picnic remember a few, quick rules for a fun and food-safe experience!
This weekend while out at your Memorial Day picnic remember a few, quick rules for a fun and food-safe experience!
- Think of your grill, cooler or picnic table as an extension of your kitchen.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before cooking or preparing food.
- Be mindful of temperature control. Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot!
- Use a thermometer to ensure meat is cooked to the proper temperature.
- Ground beef must cook to at least 155º F and chicken to at least 165º F.
- Keep coolers out of direct sunlight. Pack cooler with lots of ice or ice packs to keep the temperature below 40º F.
- Don’t cut veggies or ready to eat foods on the same cutting board you cut raw meat.
- Don’t put cooked food on the same platter used to hold raw foods.
- Refrigerate leftovers as soon as possible.
- Throw out anything left out of the refrigerator or cooler for 4 hours or longer!
Have a great holiday weekend!
Arianne RD
