Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to dine outdoors with family and friends. But don’t let your picnic make you sick! Handling food safely when picnicking is vital to protecting guests from foodborne illness.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers the following guidelines for storing and serving picnic foods.

Pack Properly

Cold foods must stay at or below 40 F. Pack cold picnic food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. To avoid cross-contamination, make sure that fruits, vegetables and prepared foods are separated from raw meat, poultry and seafood. Tightly wrap raw meat, poultry and seafood so that their juices do not leak.

Before placing fresh fruits and vegetables in the cooler, including those with skins and rinds, rinse them under running tap water. Scrub firm-skinned fruits and vegetables with a clean vegetable brush while rinsing them under running tap water. Dry all fruits and vegetables with a clean towel or a fresh paper towel.

Open the cooler only when absolutely necessary so that the contents stay cold longer. It’s better to have one cooler for drinks and another for food so that the food cooler isn’t constantly being opened.

Keep hot foods well wrapped in an insulated container at or above a temperature of 140 F until serving.

Watch the Time

When it’s time to serve the meal, use clean dishes and utensils. Do not reuse plates or utensils that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood. Otherwise, you could spread bacteria from the raw juices.

Cold foods in individual serving dishes can be placed directly on ice or in a shallow container set in a deep pan filled with ice. As the ice melts, drain off the water. Replace the ice frequently.

Don’t let picnic foods sit out for too long! The “danger zone” is when the temperature of the food is between 40 F and 140 F because that’s when bacteria quickly multiply. Never let cold perishable food sit out for longer than two hours, or one hour if the outside temperature is above 90 F.

The same holds true for hot foods. Throw hot foods and perishable cold foods away if they have been sitting out for longer than that.

Visit the FDA’s website for more details on handling food safely while dining outdoors.