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FEATURE SCRIPT – USDA Food Safety Advice For Beach & Boat Outings
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INTRO: If you're bringing a picnic to the beach or on the boat, here's some advice from
the USDA for keeping your food safe. Pat O'Leary reports.
Summer is prime time for outdoor activities like beaching and
boating. But summer is also the peak season for foodborne
Illness. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry
Hotline says it's important to fight bacteria when you're
having food and fun in the sun.
Susan Conley, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: "The kinds of bacteria that can make you very sick grow very rapidly at warm temperatures, so you have to pay attention to food safety.
"When you're taking your food away from your kitchen, keeping it cold is critical. Be sure that you take an insulated cooler with a cold source.
"If you're going to be bringing cooked food on your outing, cool it down before you pack it into the cooler.
"Make sure you keep the cooler out of the sun so the temperature inside stays nice and cold.
"When you're on a boat, make sure you keep that cooler in the shade or down below.
"It's always a good idea to pack drinks in a separate cooler - you want to make sure the cooler that has the food stays shut until you're ready to serve the food."
The experts remind you to keep hands and surfaces clean and keep an eye on the clock.
Conley: "Bring along handi-wipes, moist towelettes - the kinds of things that can clean right there on the spot.
"Food should not sit out longer than two hours and on a very hot day over 90 degrees, don't let it sit out longer than an hour. If the foods have been sitting out too long make sure to discard them. If you've had them out for a short period of time for serving then you can pack them up and put them back in the cooler."
For more information call the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline: 1-888-MPHOTLINE.
Pat O'Leary reporting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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