Food Safety Hot Topics
Make summer the time for fun, not illness
LITTLE ROCK - You survived winter. You survived Easter’s freezing
temperatures. Now it’s time to get outside and enjoy the warm weather. Picnics
are the perfect way to enjoy good weather, good company and good food. One
run-in with food poisoning, though, can ruin your summer fun.
Most people love a picnic and the food that goes with it. Grilled chicken,
hamburgers, deviled eggs and potato salad are all picnic favorites, but with
picnic food comes an increase in food-borne illness.
"During summertime, people become careless with food," said Joy Buffalo,
Pulaski County family and consumer sciences agent with the University of
Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. "People start having such a good time at
their family reunion or picnic that they may leave food sitting out under the
sun." She said people will then go back and snack on food that’s been sitting
out for hours, developing bacteria.
Cold foods, such as deviled eggs, need to be kept cold at about 41 degrees
Fahrenheit or colder. The best way to check is with a food thermometer.
"If there isn’t a way to check the temperature, don’t leave food out longer
than two hours off ice or out of refrigeration," Buffalo said. "Remember,
bacteria grow at temperatures between 41 and 135 degrees F, and may grow even
faster when sitting outside."
Another reason food-borne illness seems to increase this time of year is
because hand washing facilities may not be as plentiful, or people don’t wash
their hands as often as needed when enjoying the great outdoors. It’s
recommended that you carry moist towelettes or instant hand sanitizer to avoid
spreading dirt and germs from your hands to your food.
Salmonella and staphylococcus are two common illnesses people contract from
undercooked or improperly cooked food. Foods affected by these two bacteria
include meat products and salads, especially tuna, and potato salad. Cross
contamination can also cause a salmonella outbreak. Buffalo said many times one person may use a knife to
cut up meat and someone else may then use the same knife to cut up vegetables
without washing the knife.
Finally, Buffalo said remember that ice is a food and must be treated as
such.
"People usually just think of ice as something used to keep food cold, but
they don’t realize it can become contaminated just as easily as other foods."
Buffalo suggests always using an ice scoop and never using a cup as a scoop. The
ice scoop should be placed so the handle does not contaminate the ice, ideally
in a holder outside the dispenser.
"Also, any time ice has been used to cool food on display, such as raw meat,
poultry or canned beverages, it may not be reused as a food," advised Buffalo.
For more tips on food safety, visit
www.uaex.edu, or
contact your county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part
of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune Coop
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501)
671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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