

Don't let picnic food make you sick

4:42 PM, Jun. 11, 2014  |  Comments
FD-PICNIC-- For your Memorial Day picnic, a chicken club sandwich made with fresh bacon can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. (Gannett News Service, Heather Wines)
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It's that time of year again - picnics and cookouts every weekend to celebrate the summertime. Roughly one in six Americans will get sick from a food-borne illness each year. Some of these illnesses are caused by failure to properly prepare foods. The best ways to prevent food-borne illnesses are to avoid cross-contamination and to cook food thoroughly to the right temperature.

Q. What are some tips to preparing for a safe picnic?

A. It is especially important to take extra care when preparing certain foods during the warmer weather. Such foods include meats, poultry, seafood and egg products. The warmer weather aids in bacteria growth causing a higher risk for food-borne illnesses to happen. A bacterium grows rapidly at room temperature but even faster at temperatures of 90 degrees to 110 degrees. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold at all times.

? When shopping, avoid meats with leaky packaging

? Add chilled items like eggs, meat and frozen foods last to your cart

? Pre-sliced fruits and vegetables need to be refrigerated at all times; do not buy if they aren't refrigerated in the store

? Marinate food in the refrigerator and do not use marinade that has had raw meat in it as a dipping sauce

Thaw frozen meat the correct way:

? Defrost in the fridge on a plate to catch leaking juices

? In cold water in a watertight bag

? Microwave

? Clean hands often and with warm water

Q. What are some safe food tips for the summer?

A. These tips will keep you, your family and your guests safe from any food-borne illnesses that may be linked to improper handling of food for picnics.


? Separate foods. Keep like temperature things together. Individually package everything, especially meats and poultry.

? Use a temperature gauge to make sure food is cooked to the right temperature

? Do not use the same plate that had raw meat on it to place cooked meat - this is the main source for cross-contamination

? Use a separate cooler for beverages and food. Limit the amount of times you open the cooler that contains food in it.

Q. What are the illnesses that can be contracted from contaminated foods?

A. The most common food borne illnesses are:

? Campylobacter - usually found in undercooked poultry.

? E. coli - most commonly found in undercooked ground beef.

? Listeria - found in uncooked meats, raw-milk cheese, vegetables and cold cuts - mainly caused by cross contamination.

? Norovirus - caused solely by humans not washing their hands after using the bathroom and then coming into contact with the food

? Salmonella - when animal feces come into contact with food that isn't cooked, salmonella can be transmitted to humans.

Dr. Paul Stewart is medical director of IU Health Ball Memorial Bariatric Center and is affiliated with
IU Health Muncie Surgical Associates. For more information, visit



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