Prevent Food Poisoning at Your Summer Picnics

When preparing food:

• Wash your hands with hot water and soap before you begin. Wash your hands again if you handle raw meat, poultry, fish or egg products.
• Clean and sanitize cutting boards and knives used on raw meat before reusing them.
• Scrub all fruits and vegetables with water to remove pesticides and dirt. Remove the outer leaves of leafy greens such as spinach or lettuce.
• Do not thaw raw fish in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours.
• Thaw frozen foods under lukewarm running water, in the refrigerator or in the microwave. Meats thawed in the microwave must be cooked immediately.
• Raw poultry or ground beef will keep one to two days. Raw red meat will keep three to five days.
• Cook all meat and poultry at a minimum oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook thoroughly until the center reaches 156 degrees Fahrenheit.

When serving food:

• Never put cooked food on a dish that was holding raw meat, poultry or fish.
• Avoid cross-using utensils between dishes.
• Avoid eating raw eggs or cookie dough and cake mix containing raw eggs.
• Do not leave eggs or mayonnaise at room temperature for extended periods of time.
• Promptly and thoroughly clean the kitchen, pans, dishes and utensils after every meal.

When storing food:

• Keep the refrigerator below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Promptly refrigerate leftovers in containers with lids that shut tightly.
• Eat leftover within three to five days or freeze.
• Eat frozen leftovers within two months.
• Do not freeze uncooked fruit or vegetables, hard-cooked eggs or mayonnaise.
• Check expiration dates on food labels and throw away anything questionable.
• Put items that go in the refrigerator and freezer away first when you return from the store.
• Keep raw meat separate from read-to-eat foods.
• Put the kitchen sponge in the microwave for one minute or run it through the dishwasher to prevent bacteria growth.

Reprinted with the permission of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.