It’s hot, and you want to enjoy every minute of summer before it slips away and fall and winter set in. Grilling, picnicking, family potlucks, pool parties are some of the fun summer activities where food is often served. These summer activities can commonly be impromptu or spur of the moment, and then common-sense food safety guidelines can get overlooked or skipped due to lack of planning and saving on time. Summer is a great time to be outside – and eat outside – however, there are a few safety tidbits to keep in mind!

When packing or bringing food to an outdoor picnic, foods that do best are those that do not require cooking, and do not have to be refrigerated.  Think whole fruits and vegetables (wash before you pack), crackers, chips, breads, peanut butter and jelly, hard cheeses, dried fruit and nuts.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, for those foods that should be kept cool, pack in a separate insulated cooler with ice packs. Raw items to be grilled can be frozen while packed to keep them cooler longer. Make sure any raw meat or seafood is packed and sealed well to prevent any leaking of juices to other foods. Keep drinks in a whole different cooler than the rest of the perishable foods – since beverage coolers tend to be opened more frequently, letting in warm air. Keep your cold foods in the cooler until served if possible. For cold foods like salads, dips or soft cheeses, consider packing in several smaller containers. This will allow you to just pull out a small amount at a time.

For whole fruits and vegetables, make sure you wash them before you leave. Many places don’t have potable or drinking water on site to wash your hands (bring hand sanitizer) or the items themselves. Bacteria that are on the outside of a fruit, for instance, can be transferred to the flesh when being cut open and served. 

If using a grill, make sure it’s clean from prior uses. In general, make sure you have enough sets of serving ware to have one set for raw items to put on the grill and another set for the cooked items after.  Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a great “How to Grill Safely” website on grilling do’s and don’ts. You may want to consider purchasing a small, inexpensive food thermometer to keep for just these occasions. Having more than one knife and serving utensil for dishes can prevent cross contamination as well.

Once served, cold or hot foods should not be left out for more than 2 hours in the “danger zone” which is between 40 °F and 140 °F according to the CDC’s food safety website. The “danger zone” being the temperature range in which bacteria can multiply most readily, and lead to a greater chance of foodborne illness. If it’s a hot day ~90°F or above foods should not be left out for more than one hour. It’s best to keep salads or desserts with mayo/dairy/eggs on a bowl of ice while out. Condiments like mayo, ketchup, mustard and pickles in general are acidic in nature and can tolerate being out for a couple of hours, but it’s best if you can avoid packing a huge jar or bottle. Many condiments come in a smaller squeeze pouch or bottle that can be kept to a one-time use, and don’t require a utensil to dispense. Got left over condiment packets from a restaurant? Now is a good time to use them up!

After eating, pack up those foods right away, back to cold storage. If you feel an item is questionable or maybe sat after the ice or ice pack melted, as the old adage goes, “when in doubt, throw it out.” 

Happy picnicking! 

Taiya Bach is a teaching faculty II and a registered dietitian nutritionist with the UW-Department of Nutritional Sciences, and a member of the CALS Wellness Committee.