Food Safety Tips for Summertime
Beautiful warm sunny summer days are upon us and many of us love spending time outdoors during this time of year, where we also cook and eat at backyard barbeques, picnics and outdoor adventures like camping trips. With warm summer weather also comes an increased risk of food poisoning since harmful bacteria can grow quickly in warm, moist conditions. Read on to learn some Health Canada food safety tips to help keep you safe from food poisoning this summer!
Health Canada food safety tips for summer can be broken down into a few main areas:
- Properly chill food
- Separate foods
- Follow proper cleaning techniques
- Cook to safe temperatures
- Put away leftovers
Properly chill food
- On hot summer days it’s important not to keep food at room temperature for more than one hour.
- Perishable foods need to be kept cold in a cooler filled with ice packs. The temperature inside the cooler should be at or below 4°C (40°F).
- Keep the cooler closed when not accessing it, out of direct sunlight and try not to open it too often. Opening the cooler lets warm air in and cold air out. It’s helpful to use two coolers – one for drinks and one for food so the one with food will not be opened as frequently so will keep the food colder for longer.
- Do not keep marinating meat sitting out, rather keep in an ice filled cooler. Also, if you are using a marinade to baste cooked meat or as a dipping sauce, make sure it hasn’t come in contact with raw uncooked meat.
- Keep food out of the temperature danger zone of 4°C to 60°C (40°F to 140°F) as harmful bacteria can grow in as little as two hours in this temperature zone.
Separate foods
- It’s important to keep raw meat, poultry and seafood separate from other foods to prevent spreading harmful bacteria. Use sealed containers or re-sealable plastic bags to prevent leaks.
- Keep raw meat, poultry and seafood at the bottom of your cooler to prevent any juices dripping onto other foods and avoid cross-contamination.
Follow proper cleaning techniques
When you are outdoors, the same cleaning techniques used at home need to be followed in order to avoid cross-contamination and food poisoning, including:
- Washing your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, before and after handling food.
- Use clean water and soap to wash all dishes, countertops and cutting boards before and after each use.
- Sanitize cooking equipment, utensils and work surfaces with a mild bleach solution.
- Rinse with fresh water and let air dry.
Cook to safe temperatures
- It’s important to cook raw meat, poultry, and seafood to a safe internal temperature as harmful bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria are killed by heat.
- Use a digital food thermometer to check the temperature.
- Make sure you clean your digital food thermometer in warm soapy water between temperature readings to avoid cross-contamination.
- Always use a clean plate for food you take off the grill. Never put cooked food on the same plate that was used for raw meat, poultry, or seafood – make sure you wash the plate first.
Put away leftovers
- Put food in shallow containers to cool food quickly.
- Don’t keep food at room temperature for more than one hour on hot summer days.
