We used to worry only about ants getting into our picnics, but now we know we also need to be on guard against dangerous foodborne pathogens and follow safe food handling practices.
Last September’s outbreak of E. coli infection resulting from bagged spinach may have made you wary of eating almost anything raw for fear of contracting this dangerous foodborne illness. More recently, the reports of melamine contamination in pet foods had many questioning if it was also in human food.
There are easy things you can do to avoid contracting food poisoning by following simple steps to handle, prepare and store your food.
Lather up. Starting with clean hands is Numero Uno. Twenty-four percent of food poisoning cases are the result of poor hygiene. Have soap and water to use for washing your hands before cooking and especially after handling raw meat, fish and poultry. This is critical to prevent transferring bacteria from one surface to another.
If you’re away from a source of water, first use a wet wipe to remove grime from your hands, followed by an alcohol-based gel sanitizer. These hand sanitizers have been shown in research studies to reduce live bacteria at a similar rate to hand washing.
Rinse produce. Before cutting into fresh fruits and vegetables, wash them under running water, as bacteria present on the outside can be transferred to the edible portion. Use a vegetable brush to scrub firm-skin fruits such as melons and vegetables under running tap water.
Though you may not remove all microorganisms, you can certainly reduce the number present.
Leafy vegetables can be difficult to clean. Immerse leaves in cold water for several minutes and rinse with clean water.
Commercial produce washes are also effective but it really comes down to whether you can afford their extra expense, because water alone works just fine.
Make mine mayo. Do you avoid taking a mayonnaise-based salad to a picnic for fear it will go bad and cause someone to get sick?
The fact is that commercially made mayonnaise is unlikely to be the cause of food poisoning. Commercial dressing, made with vinegar or lemon juice, has high levels of acidity and salt which inhibit bacterial growth. It also contains pasteurized eggs, which have been heat-treated to destroy any bacteria that may have been present initially.
This myth likely started years ago when mayonnaise couldn’t be purchased in the store and was homemade with less vinegar and salt, and eggs that were not pasteurized.
Still, you should keep any mayonnaise-based food chilled to 41 degrees – particularly those that contain protein foods like eggs or meat, because bacteria can grow if this mixture is kept too warm.
Homemade ice cream. You may have an old family recipe for homemade ice cream that calls for raw eggs. You can still enjoy it by making a simple substitution. Use egg substitutes or shell eggs that have had the salmonella destroyed through pasteurization. These can be found next to the regular eggs in the refrigerated case.
This same advice applies for other foods made with raw eggs, such as homemade mayonnaise and Caesar salad dressing.
Other options for safe homemade ice cream include making eggless ice cream or using a recipe that contains a cooked custard base.
Temperature specific. Eat cooked food while it’s still hot. Remember, bacteria can grow when food cools down slowly. Dangerous bacteria grow in temperatures between 41 degrees and 140 degree Fahrenheit. Keeping food cold (41 degrees or colder) and heating food (hotter than 140 degrees) kills dangerous bacteria.
Avoid leaving cold food out more than 2 hours. On hot days, when the temperature is 90 degrees or more, food should be left out no more than one hour. Put chilled foods in shallow bowls placed on ice and replace ice as needed.
After two hours, perishable food should be refrigerated or tossed, so avoid the temptation to replenish existing trays. Plan to serve just enough to minimize the temptation of keeping leftovers, which may already contain bacteria that have multiplied.
Remember that many people’s hands may have taken food from the dish, which was also sitting at room temperature for a while.
When you’re grilling, use a clean plate and clean utensils for cooked meat in place of those used for raw meat.
Avoid deciding on doneness by color, and instead use a thermometer to reach safe temperatures for burgers and chicken to avoid contracting E. coli. Aim for internal temperatures of 160 degrees or above for hamburgers and 165 degrees or above for chicken.
Follow these guidelines and enjoy your summer picnics and cookouts without unwanted pathogens.
Additional information on food safety for consumers is available at www.foodsafety.gov and at.
Shirley Perryman, M.S., R.D., is an extension specialist with the Colorado State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Contact her at shirley.perryman@colostate.edu.
