Don’t Invite Food Poisoning To Your Family Cookout
Picnickers and backyard barbecuers, listen up! Uncle Sam wants you to know that the grilled chicken, broiled burgers and hot dogs, creamy coleslaw and deviled eggs you’re about to devour could carry some unwanted surprises.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are teaming up to remind consumers that hot, humid weather is the perfect time for food poisoning.
“Anybody can get food poisoning, but everyone always believes that it won’t happen to them,” said Mitchell Cohen, director of the Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases at the CDC in Atlanta.
An estimated 3 million to 7 million Americans suffer from food-borne ailments each year, according to the USDA’s Food Safety Information Service. An estimated 3,000 to 7,000 of those cases are fatal, with the very young, the elderly and people with impaired immune systems the most vulnerable.
Outbreaks of food poisoning can occur year-round but peak in the summer months. Even when food is kept in ice chests, it may not be packed with enough ice to keep it properly chilled.
Just a few simple mistakes can add up to food poisoning. Undercook food and you can jump-start a bacterial population explosion. Cook food thoroughly, but leave it unrefrigerated too long, and you lay the foundation for trouble.
Even foods not traditionally associated with food-borne pathogens can provide an unwelcome surprise. Make an extra-large pot of rice for salad, then leave it out overnight and presto! Microorganisms coating the rice burst forth with poisonous spores that can turn a nice meal into a nightmare.
It takes small amounts of bacteria to cause disease, sometimes fewer than 100 microorganisms, which is the reason why experts stress the importance of careful hygiene.
Here are some tips for avoiding food poisoning at your picnic:
Thoroughly chill all perishable foods before placing them in coolers or ice chests. This will keep them colder longer.
Don’t partially cook food, then wait to finish it later on the grill. Doing so increases the risk of bacteria.
Make sure meats - especially ground meats - and chicken are fully cooked, until the juices run clear.
Limit the time perishable foods are kept at room temperature. The rule of thumb is no more than two hours unrefrigerated if the temperature is below 85 degrees, only one hour at 85 degrees or higher.
Don’t let any raw meat or poultry juices or marinades come into contact with cooked food.
Don’t put cooked meat or poultry back on the same plate you used to carry it when it was raw.
Store leftover salads and stews in shallow dishes, which cool faster.
If you have questions about preparing and storing meat and poultry, you can call the USDA’s tollfree hotline, 1-800-535-4555, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. PST.