Barbecues and Picnics Increases Chance for Food Borne Illnesses

As more and more people hit the barbecue for the holiday, or just because it’s summer, or they want to head down to the park for a picnic, it’s important to bring along food safety measures.

Food Safety Specialist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture Susan Kendrick said food safety is even more important in the summer.

“The number of food borne outbreaks typically goes up in the summertime, probably because people are eating outside, cooking more, their habits are a little bit different in the summer. You might have a different family member that’s out running the barbecue than would normally be preparing food in the house.”

Meats should be cooked thoroughly, raw fruit and vegetables should cleaned, even something like a cantaloupe where you don’t plan to eat the outside.

If you area away from home, Kendrick said not having a sink with running water, or access to refrigeration changes your approach.

“It’s really good if you don’t leave the food out for more than two to three hours. If you are camping and using a cooler, it would be great not to have leftovers or just throw out what is left over because it’s just really hard to bring that temperature down rapidly in a cooler.”

Food safety is often common sense, but if you follow the basics and try to be as safe as possible, the fun you have at a barbecue or a picnic will be remembered fondly, and not for some disease you got because of it.