Make Your Memorial Day Fun and Safe

The departure of spring and the coming of summer bring in hot temperatures and outdoor gatherings, especially during Memorial Day—the unofficial first day of summer. 

Before you pack this Memorial Day weekend’s picnic, make sure that uninvited guests such as food poisoning and diseases don’t take a thrive on your picnic basket.

• Bring moist towelettes, hand sanitizers, or soap and water to clean your hand and surfaces as often as possible.
• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Any change in temperature could cause bacteria to form.
• Keep cooked foods separate from raw meat, fish, and poultry, to prevent transfer of harmful bacteria.
• Pack fresh and washed vegetables that do not have bruises or cuts.
• Use plenty of ice to keep perishable foods chilled below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Bring separate plates for handling raw and cooked foods to prevent cross-contamination. 
• Speaking of cross-contamination, bring two separate cloths. One to clean the areas that have been touched by raw meat and another for cooked foods.
• Transport the cooler in the back seat of your air-conditioned car instead of putting it in your hot trunk.

Don’t let foods sit out for more than two hours, and under the hot weather, that time is reduced to one hour.