Summer Fun Shouldn’t End with Food Poisoning: How to Stay Safe at Cookouts, Picnics, and Beach Days

While summer is the perfect time for backyard barbecues, beach picnics, family reunions, and neighborhood cookouts, the warmer weather also creates ideal conditions for bacteria to grow on food. Each year, millions of people experience foodborne illnesses, many of which can be prevented with proper food handling and preparation.

What Foods Should You Be Careful With?

Hot temperatures can cause harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, E. coli, and listeria, to multiply quickly when certain foods are left unrefrigerated. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, seafood, potato salad, pasta salad, cut fruit, dairy products, and dips are especially vulnerable when sitting out in the summer heat.

What’s a Safe Temperature for Handling Food Outside?

One of the most important ways to prevent food poisoning is keeping food at safe temperatures. Foods that spoil quickly shouldn’t be left out for more than two hours, or just one hour if outdoor temperatures are above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Pack cold foods in insulated coolers with plenty of ice or frozen gel packs, and keep coolers in the shade whenever possible. Hot foods should be kept at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer until they’re served.

How to Properly Prepare Your Food

Proper food preparation is just as important. Make sure to:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling food, and clean cutting boards, utensils, and countertops after preparing raw meat, poultry, or seafood.
• Avoid cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards and plates for raw and cooked foods.
• Never place cooked meat back on the same platter that previously held it raw.
• Use a food thermometer to ensure foods reach a safe internal temperature when grilling. Cook poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, ground meats like hamburgers to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and steaks, pork, and seafood to the temperatures recommended by food safety guidelines. Color alone isn’t a reliable way to determine whether meat is fully cooked.

If you’re packing food for a picnic or beach day, keep sandwiches, salads, fruit, and beverages chilled until it’s time to eat. Instead of placing all your food out at once, serve smaller portions and replenish them from the cooler as needed. This helps reduce the amount of time food spends in the “danger zone” between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, where bacteria grow at a faster speed.

After the meal, refrigerate leftovers quickly. If foods that spoil easily have been sitting out beyond the recommended time, it’s safest to throw them away rather than risk becoming sick.

How Do You Know if You Have Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning symptoms can include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Fever
• Dehydration

While many cases go away on their own, young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously ill.

When Should You See a Doctor?

Get emergency medical care if symptoms are severe, don’t go away, or are accompanied by high fever, bloody diarrhea, signs of severe dehydration, or difficulty keeping fluids down. If you’re experiencing mild-to-moderate food poisoning symptoms, you can visit one of our UHealth Jackson Urgent Care centers. For more information, visit our website at https://jacksonurgentcare.com/.