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Eating Outdoors
Handling Food Safely
(This document also available in PDF, 703KB, and en español (Spanish))
Picnic and barbecue season offers lots of opportunities for outdoor fun with
family and friends. But these warm weather events also present opportunities
for foodborne bacteria to thrive. As food heats up in summer temperatures,
bacteria multiply rapidly.
To protect yourself, your family, and friends from foodborne illness during
warm-weather months, safe food handling when eating outdoors is critical.
Read on for simple food safety guidelines for transporting your food to the
picnic site, and preparing and serving it safely once you've arrived.
Pack and Transport Food Safely
Keep your food safe: from the refrigerator/freezer . . .
all the way to the picnic table.
Quick Tips for Picnic Site Prep
Food safety begins with proper hand
cleaning — including outdoor settings.
Before you begin setting out your picnic
feast, make sure hands and surfaces are
clean.
- Outdoor Hand Cleaning: If you don’t have access to running water,
simply use a water jug, some soap, and paper towels. Or, consider using moist
disposable towelettes for cleaning your hands.
- Utensils and Serving Dishes: Take care
to keep all utensils and platters clean when preparing food.
- Keep cold food cold. Place cold food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. Cold food should be stored at 40°F or below to prevent bacterial growth. Meat, poultry, and seafood may be packed while still frozen so that
they stay colder longer.
- Organize cooler contents. Consider packing beverages in one cooler and perishable foods in another. That way,
as picnickers open and reopen the beverage cooler to replenish their drinks, the perishable foods won’t be exposed
to warm outdoor air temperatures.
- Keep coolers closed. Once at the picnic site, limit the number of
times the cooler is opened as much as you can. This helps to keep
the contents cold longer.
- Don’t cross-contaminate. Be sure to keep raw meat, poultry,
and seafood securely wrapped. This keeps their juices from
contaminating prepared/cooked foods or foods that will be eaten
raw, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Clean your produce. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under
running tap water before packing them in the cooler - including
those with skins and rinds that are not eaten. Rub firm-skinned
fruits and vegetables under running tap water or scrub with a
clean vegetable brush while rinsing with running tap water. Dry
fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth towel or paper towel.
— Packaged fruits and vegetables that are labeled "ready-to-eat,"
"washed," or "triple washed" need not be washed.
Safe Food Temperature Chart
Food |
Temperature |
Steaks and roasts |
145°F |
Fish |
145°F |
Pork |
160°F |
Ground beef |
160°F |
Egg dishes |
160°F |
Chicken breasts |
165°F |
Whole poultry |
165°F |
Shrimp, lobster, and crabs |
cook until pearly and opaque |
Clams, oysters, and mussels |
cook until the shells are open |
Follow Safe Grilling Tips
Grilling and picnicking often go hand-in-hand. And just as with cooking indoors, there
are important guidelines that should be followed to ensure that your grilled food reaches
the table safely.
- Marinate safely. Marinate foods in the refrigerator - never on the kitchen counter or
outdoors. In addition, if you plan to use some of the marinade as a sauce on the cooked
food, reserve a portion separately before adding the raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
Don’t reuse marinade.
- Cook immediately after "partial cooking." If you partially cook food to reduce
grilling time, do so immediately before the food goes on the hot grill.
- Cook food thoroughly. When it’s time to cook the food, have your food thermometer
ready. Always use it to be sure your food is cooked thoroughly.
- Keep "ready" food hot. Grilled food can be kept hot until served by moving it to
the side of the grill rack, just away from the coals. This keeps it hot but prevents
overcooking.
- Don't reuse platters or utensils. Using the same platter or utensils that previously held raw meat, poultry, or
seafood allows bacteria from the raw food’s juices to spread to the cooked food. Instead, have a clean platter and
utensils ready at grill-side to serve your food.
Serving Picnic Food: Keep it COLD / HOT
Platter Warning:
Prevent "Cross-Contamination" When Serving
Never reuse a plate or utensils
that previously held raw meat,
poultry, or seafood for serving
— unless they’ve been washed
first in hot, soapy water.
Otherwise, you can spread
bacteria from the raw juices to
your cooked or ready-to-eat food.
This is particularly important to
remember when serving cooked
foods from the grill.
Keeping food at proper temperatures - indoor and out - is critical in preventing the
growth of foodborne bacteria. The key is to never let your picnic food remain in the
"Danger Zone" - between 40° F and 140° F - for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if
outdoor temperatures are above 90° F. This is when bacteria in food can multiply rapidly,
and lead to foodborne illness.
Instead, follow these simple rules for keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot.
COLD FOOD
Cold perishable food should be kept in the
cooler at 40° F or below until serving time.
- Once you've served it, it should not sit out
for longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the
outdoor temperature is above 90° F. If it
does - discard it.
- Foods like chicken salad and desserts in
individual serving dishes can be placed
directly on ice, or in a shallow container set
in a deep pan filled with ice. Drain off water
as ice melts and replace ice frequently.
HOT FOOD
Hot food should be kept hot, at or
above 140° F.
- Wrap it well and place it in an
insulated container until serving.
- Just as with cold food - these
foods should not sit out for
more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in
temperatures above 90° F. If food
is left out longer, throw it away to
be safe.