Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, with plenty of outdoor gatherings and picnics. To protect yourself and your loved ones from foodborne illnesses, here are four tips for packing and serving your picnic safely.

Properly pack and transport food.

The key rule is to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Maintain a temperature of 40 degrees or below in your cooler; place an appliance thermometer inside it to check. Keep the cooler lid closed and limit the number of times it is opened and closed during your picnic. Bring a separate cooler for beverages.

It’s also important to separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods that won’t be cooked before eating, such as bread, fruit, vegetables and salads, to avoid cross contamination.

Store raw meat, poultry and seafood in a separate cooler or securely wrapped so that their juices don’t contaminate other foods. Rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before packing them, even if they have skins and rinds that aren’t eaten.

Hot foods should be kept at or above 140 degrees. Wrap hot foods well and keep them in an insulated container until serving.

Keep your picnic clean.

Make sure all of the picnic surfaces are clean before setting out your picnic foods. Use disinfectant cleaning wipes or a spray cleaner and paper towels to clean the picnic table and other surfaces before unpacking your food, plates and serving items.

Clean your hands, as well. If the picnic site has no running water, you can use disposable moist towelettes or bring a water jug, soap and paper towels for hand-washing.

Always use clean utensils and serving dishes for prepared foods. Never serve food with utensils and platters that were used for raw meat, poultry or seafood unless they have been thoroughly washed.

Follow the two-hour rule.

Bacteria in food multiplies rapidly in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees. Never let cold perishable foods or hot foods remain in this temperature “danger zone” for more than two hours (one hour if the outdoor temperature is above 90 degrees).

Keep cold perishable foods in the cooler until they are ready to serve. To keep them cold during the picnic, serve them in dishes placed directly on ice or in a shallow container set in a deep pan filled with ice.

You can keep hot foods at 140 degrees or warmer using a slow cooker if you have access to electricity at the picnic site.

Chill leftovers quickly.

Leftover foods should be refrigerated at 40 degrees or below as soon as possible and within two hours. Bring smaller containers with you, if possible, to divide large amounts of leftovers into smaller, shallow containers or bags so that the food cools more quickly.

Throw out any cold perishable foods or hot foods that sat out in the temperature danger zone for too long.

For more information on picnic food safety, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website.

Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Food and Drug Administration