Kick off your summer with safe food handling practices

Laurie Messing<lmessing@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

As we head into the summer, now is a great time to evaluate your summer food safety practices.

Summer is just around the corner. As you begin planning for a summer filled with outdoor food events including picnics, BBQs, snacks at sporting events and numerous other summer outings, now is a great time to think about your summer food safety practices. Warmer temperatures provide the perfect environment for bacteria to rapidly multiply on food that is not properly handled. The greater the number of bacteria present, the greater chance of foodborne illness. Take steps now to make any necessary changes and keep foodborne illness from ruining your summer food events.

Michigan State University Extension recommends using these four principles for proper food handling to help guide you: clean, separate, cook and chill. Each principle has important tips to keep in mind for safe and fun summer food events.

  • Clean: Make sure that all surfaces are cleaned and hands washed for 20 seconds with warm, soapy water before handling food. In areas where handwashing is not available, hand sanitizer can be used.
  • Separate: Prevent cross contamination by keeping raw meats separate from any raw fruits, vegetables and ready to eat foods. This includes in the refrigerator, in the cooler and on cutting boards. Also, remember to replace the plate that held raw meat from the BBQ grill with a clean plate for the cooked foods.
  • Cook: Use a food thermometer to ensure food is cooked to the proper temperature to kill bacteria. The FDA shares the minimum internal cooking temperatures to ensure food safety. 
  • Chill: Summer’s warmer temperatures pose a problem for keeping cold food cold. Take special caution to ensure that foods are refrigerated quickly and that coolers or ice chests filled with ice are used when traveling or taking food away from home for food events. Keep the coolers closed as much as possible and out of direct sunlight. Also, pack beverages in a separate cooler from the food since the beverage cooler is usually opened more frequently.

Following these simple practices will help you enjoy a safe summer filled with delicious food events and fun outings with family and friends.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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