Families Column

Families Column

Contact:  Jill Weber, ISU Extension Nutrition & Health Specialist, 319-234-6811, jrweber@iastate.edu

 Do You Pack Safety in Your Picnic Basket?!

Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching.  Many families have made plans for picnics or other outdoor activities where food will be packed and taken along.

 There are usually ants and other insects crawling or flying around at a picnic. Cindy Baumgartner, Nutrition and Health Field Specialist for Iowa State University Extension Service, says, “While you can see ants and avoid them, it is not always possible to see, taste, or smell dangerous bacteria that may cause illness if food is mishandled.  Before having a picnic, be sure you pack safety in your basket!”  

Food must be prepared and stored safely, then packed safely for traveling.  As summer approaches, did you know this is the season when more people become ill from foodborne illnesses?  Why?  Bacteria grow and multiply very rapidly when they are in the “danger zone” between 40°-140° F.  This is the temperature when food is sitting out of the refrigerator or before food begins to cook. 

 Food transported without an ice source or left out in the sun at a picnic will not stay safe for long.  Family and friends who eat mishandled food may come down with gastrointestinal, “flu-like” symptoms caused by foodborne pathogens. 

Baumgartner says to follow these tips for packing a safe picnic lunch:

·         Try to plan just the right amount of foods to take. That way, you will not have to worry about the storage of safety of leftovers.

·         Wash hands and work areas thoroughly before food preparation. Be sure all utensils and containers are clean as well

·         Foods cooked ahead need to be cooked in plenty time to thoroughly chill in the refrigerator. Use an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs to keep the food at a temperature of 40° or lower.  Pack food from the refrigerator right into the cooler.

·         If you are planning on take-out foods, such as fried chicken or barbecued beef, eat them within two hours of pick-up or buy ahead of time and chill them before packing the foods into the cooler.

·         Don’t put the cooler in the trunk...keep it inside the air-conditioned vehicle.

·         At the picnic, keep the cooler in the shade.  Keep the lid closed and avoid repeated openings.  Replenish the ice if it melts.

·         Use a separate cooler for drinks so the one containing perishable food won’t be constantly opened and closed.

 If you are employed in a food service related career, Iowa State University Extension offers professional food safety and sanitation certification training, such as ServSafe or SafeFood.  Contact your local Franklin County Extension Office at 3 1^st Ave NW, Hampton, 641-456-4811 for dates of upcoming classes and/or questions about food safety.  We have great information...check us out!    

picture from flickr.com