At the Grocery Store

We can usually count on buying safe food at the grocery store with commercial food-handling regulations and packaging keeping the risk of illness low. However, when planning a big party, inspecting food from the very beginning can help keep guests safe.

Before placing items in the cart, inspect the packaging and food quality to minimize risk. Avoid purchasing meat that is in leaky packaging, as this can lead to cross-contamination, and check to be sure that chilled food is actually kept cold. When buying raw meat or seafood, try to place these items at the bottom of the grocery store cart to ensure that they do not drip onto anything that could cross-contaminate other purchases. Wrapping meats in a plastic bag can help to minimize these risks even further.

Check fruits and vegetables for freshness and blemishes to ensure quality, and don't purchase pre-sliced fruits and veggies that are not refrigerated.

Finally, if shopping on a hot day, consider bringing a cooler to keep meats, eggs and frozen foods chilled on the drive home, especially if the commute to the grocer is more than a half an hour.

For Safe Food Prep

When preparing food at home, safe handling in the kitchen will also help to mitigate the risk of contamination. Of course, one of the most obvious steps for keeping food bacteria-free is washing your hands frequently, but especially after handling raw meats.

Keeping food safe comes down to cleanliness. Washing fruits and vegetables by running them under cool tap water. Scrubbing hard-surfaced produce such as potatoes can also help to remove dirt and bacteria. If fruit and vegetables appear bruised, cutting off the damaged parts can help reduce risk, especially since bruised areas are where bacteria tend to congregate.

When handling meat, it is important to take proper precautions. Do not, under any circumstances, defrost meat by leaving it on the kitchen counter. Defrosting in the fridge, in cold water (in a sealed bag, changing the water every 30 minutes) or in the microwave are the safest ways to defrost frozen meats.

It is also a common misconception that washing raw meats helps to minimize bacteria. Washing raw meat can actually increase the risk of food poisoning by splashing juices and bacteria onto different surfaces in the kitchen, including the sink or counters. Be especially careful when handling meats, and disinfect any areas that may have been contaminated.

Additionally, marinate raw meat in the refrigerator to ensure that the meat stays cold.

For the Grill Master

Many picnics featured freshly grilled chicken, brats, burgers or hotdogs. And while some love being the “grill master,” making sure that safety precautions are taken at this stage of preparation can further reduce the risk of food poisoning, especially in warmer weather.

First and foremost, always have at least two plates at the grill. One should hold the raw meat, and the other should be for taking it away once it has been cooked. Replacing food on a plate that held the raw meat drastically increases the risk of contamination, replacing the bacteria that was just cooked out of the food on the grill.

Similarly, do not use the same marinade that was used on the raw meat to baste the meat once on the grill. Set aside some of the marinade that has not been contaminated for basting if you want to add some flavor to the food safely.

Cooking food thoroughly may seem obvious, but undercooked meats can severely increase the risk of food poisoning. Although you may think you know what fully cooked meat looks like, a thermometer is the only way to tell if it is done. Use a thermometer to measure temperatures at the thickest part. Poultry should be cooked to 165°F, while ground beef, lamb, veal, or pork and sausages should be cooked to at least 160°F. For beefsteaks, lamb and pork chops, as well as seafood, 145°F should do the trick. Let these meats rest for three minutes before serving at this temperature to get rid of bacteria.

For those that like their meat to be less well-done, there are ways to make sure that it is prepared as safely as possible. For burgers, in particular, asking the butcher to grind the meat from an inside cut an help reduce the amount of bacteria, especially considering packaged ground meats often come from cuts that contain more bacteria.

At the Party: Temperature Control Outdoors

One of the most basic rules of thumb for keeping food safe for party guests is that hot foods should be kept hot and cold foods should be kept cold.

The window between 40°F and 140°F is often called “the danger zone,” because between these temperatures bacteria are able to proliferate. The more quickly bacteria grows only increases the risk of guests getting sick. In order to keep perishable foods from entering the danger zone, monitor the temperature of food, and either keep it on ice or heat it to avoid entering the risky “danger zone.”

When it is hot outside, this is especially important because “room temperature” corresponds to the temperature outside, which is especially dangerous if temps reach more than 90°F. The USDA recommends that hosts never leave food un-chilled for more than two hours, but if the weather is 90°F or hotter, hosts should limit the food exposure to one hour without refrigeration or heat.

For popular picnic foods, including potato salad, macaroni salad or grilled meats, keeping them on ice, in warming trays or inside, if possible, is best for minimizing health risks.