Picky Picnic Picking

A fun day picnicking with your family can quickly turn into a terrible afternoon when food poisoning strikes. Outdoor picnics are the perfect breeding ground for most bacteria. Knowing how bacteria grow and how to carefully prepare and choose food can be the difference between spending a day in the outdoors or the outhouse.

Foodborne Illness and Your Food

Foods can become contaminated at any point in the process, from butchering to packaging to preparation to storing. If the handlers of the food have a bacterial illness or if poor hygiene practices are present in the butcher shop or restaurant preparing the food, the bacteria could be transferred. Likewise, if an animal has a bacterial infection, the bacteria could be present in the meat, milk, eggs, or other foods produced by that animal.

Fruits and vegetables are generally safer than animal products because they don’t contract illnesses the way animals do, and many of them have thick skins preventing bacteria from getting to the actual fruit. However, pesticides and fertilizer can also cause illness if consumed, and if the water used to grow the food is contaminated, traces of bacteria could still be present on the food when purchased. Always wash fruits and vegetables before eating.

The good news is that refrigeration and cooking often help prevent bacterial transfer or growth. Refrigeration stops the most common types of bacteria from multiplying, so even if a small amount of bacteria is present, refrigeration will often keep it from getting to a level that will cause illness. Also, cooking foods at high temperatures (160°F or 78°C) even for a few seconds is enough to kill most viruses and bacteria.

How to Protect Your Family

Summer is the time for picnics and barbeques with delicious food and fun with friends. However, with all that food around, there are some things to be mindful of when serving and choosing foods. Keep in mind that babies, pregnant women, and elderly people are more susceptible to foodborne illness, so extra caution should be taken in these categories.

In general, you should make sure foods are kept cold or hot and that raw meats are separated from cooked meats. Also, pay attention to how long food has been sitting out—most food at a picnic should only sit out for 2 hours, but if the temperature outside is over 90°, food should only sit out for 1 hour. Bring coolers, slow cookers, or insulated containers to help keep food at a proper temperature. Fresh fruits with thicker skins (melons, apples, oranges, etc.) will be ok at room temperature for several days, but once they are cut, they should be treated like regular refrigerated foods and eaten or thrown away within 2 hours.

Clean hands, tables, and utensils are important for preventing illness when eating outdoors. If new food is being set out, put it in a clean container; don’t add it to old food that has been sitting out. Bring hand sanitizer and wet wipes to keep hands clean and wash eating surfaces. And never spray bug spray or sunscreen near the food.

Keeping these safety tips in mind will help ensure that you and your family have a fun, delicious, illness-free day and are free to enjoy the time with friends and family. TrustCare is here if you feel sick after a cookout or picnic. Stop in at one of our locations and we’ll help you Feel Better Faster!