Eating Outdoors? Read These Food Safety Tips

Posted On: 08/29/2022

Late summer is the perfect time to enjoy meals outdoors.

However, on hot days, it鈥檚 more important than ever to follow food safety rules. Otherwise, bacteria inside and on the surface of food items can grow to dangerous levels. This can cause food poisoning and other serious illnesses in adults and children.

Be sure to protect food鈥攁nd everything that touches it鈥攚hen you are preparing or serving meals or wrapping up leftovers.

Just remember the four rules of food safety:

Clean
Separate
Cook
Chill

Clean 听

When preparing food, wash your hands, counters, cutting boards, and all surfaces.
Wash dishes and utensils after they touch each food item鈥攅specially meat and dairy.
Before eating or chopping, rinse fruits and vegetables under running water.
Before you open a can, wipe off the lid with hot water.

Separate

Keep meat, seafood, and eggs separated from each other in grocery bags and the refrigerator.
Use one cutting board for fresh produce and another cutting board for meat.
If you use a plate to hold raw meat, seafood, or eggs, clean the plate thoroughly before you use it to hold cooked food.

Cook

Use a food thermometer, especially for meat.
Be sure to cook eggs completely, with no 鈥渞unny鈥� yolks.
Reheating liquids, such as sauces, soups, and gravy? Bring to a full boil.

Chill

Learn how to adjust your refrigerator temperature settings.
Buy appliance thermometers and place them inside your refrigerator and freezer.
Keep the refrigerator at 40掳F or colder.
Keep the freezer at 0掳F or colder.
Defrost foods only:
- in the refrigerator
- in cold water
- in the microwave

What about leftovers?

Sometimes food tastes even better the next day鈥攁s long as it鈥檚 been stored safely.

Eating outdoors on days above 90掳F? Move uneaten food to the refrigerator within one hour.
When storing food in the refrigerator or freezer, use shallow containers.
Use most cooked leftovers within four days.
Reheat leftovers to 165掳F. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature.
If food is left out for more than one hour on hot days, throw it away.

For more helpful food safety information, visit the