As Independence Day celebrations approach, the Henry and Stark County Health Departments urge residents to remember outdoor food safety. Warm weather increases the risk of food poisoning, so officials advise buying meat and poultry last when shopping, storing them promptly at home, and never thawing them at room temperature. Clean all surfaces and utensils before and after preparing raw foods to avoid cross-contamination. Use insulated coolers packed with ice for perishables, and discard any food left out for more than three hours, or sooner in high heat. Symptoms of food poisoning often resemble those of the flu. For more tips, visit henrystarkhealth.com.
- When at the grocer’s, choose meat and poultry last. Bag your selections with other cold items and get them home promptly. Don’t leave such food in the car while you run errands. If foods are allowed to get warm, germs and pathogens that are present will begin to multiply.”
- Once home, store soon-to-be-used meat and poultry items in the refrigerator in their original store wrapper or rewrap in freezer foil and store in the deep freezer. This will shorten freezing time and also enable them to be thawed more quickly later on by reducing the time needed between thawing and cooking. What’s more, meat and poultry products should never be allowed to thaw at room temperature. Defrosting such items in the refrigerator or microwave is a much safer practice.
- Pay close attention to how foods are prepared for cooking outdoors. Wash all countertops, cutting boards, and knives with hot soapy water before and after using them for raw foods. Such “cross-contamination” could be unhealthy. Always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat items.
- When packing up foods for a picnic or outing, place perishable items, including hot dogs, cheese, and luncheon meats, in a well-insulated cooler and cover with plenty of ice. Keep coolers in the shade and open them only when necessary.
- While it is usually safe to store picnic leftovers in an ice-filled cooler, it’s a good idea to package up remaining foods immediately after the meal is finished. Food items left out at room temperature for three hours or more should be discarded, but those exposed to warmer outside temperatures should be disposed of much sooner. The best rule to follow is “when in doubt, throw it out.”
