Your Health

Picnic perfect

Avoid food-borne illness

BY JORIE JANZEN
Winnipeg Health Region
Wave Magazine, Summer 2009

Did you know the risk for food-borne illness increases in the summer?

The weather can get pretty hot and humid - even in Manitoba. With increased outdoor activities such as camping, picnics, BBQs, and sporting events, warm and moist conditions set the stage for a breeding zone for harmful bacteria to multiply.

One of the most common sources of food-borne illness is cross contamination, which usually results from not washing your hands properly before preparing food, and not cleaning a knife, cutting board, or can opener between food sources. Problems can also occur if utensils or plates touch raw meat, fish or poultry without being properly cleaned.

There are some basic tips to keep food-borne illness off your plate. With careful preparation, you will be able to minimize your risk and enjoy the summer season. In order to be successful, you must decide what to eat, how to cook the food and what equipment you will need to keep food safe. Plan to not have kitchen luxuries such as the refrigerator, hot/cold running tap water, and the kitchen sink. Before heading out, find out if the location has a source of clean running water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Or pack disposable wipes or sanitizing lotions and paper towels.

Safe picnic planning tips

1. Refrigerate/freeze food the day before the trip.

2. Consider keeping abundant non-perishables on hand: nuts, dried fruit, canned meat/fish, canned soups, dried soup mixes, dry rice, pasta, cereals, beef jerky, cereal bars, canned fruit, etc.

3. Keep raw foods separate from cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination.

• When packing your cooler, wrap/place in sealable containers raw meats and poultry and keep them on the bottom. This will prevent the juices from dripping onto other foods.
• If possible, keep these items in separate coolers. Keep the cooler(s) in the coolest part of the car and keep it closed as much as possible and away from sunlight.
• Foods to keep cool: potato salad, luncheon meats, meat. Think of what is in your fridge.
• Lower the pH of food by adding lemon/lime/orange juice to marinades. DO NOT reuse the marinade, as the juice from the raw meat has harmful bacteria (Salmonella and E. Coli).

4. Before, during and after preparing food, wash your hands with soap and water. If this is not an option, use an alcohol-based sanitizer.

5. Always wash raw fruit and vegetables to get rid of surface bacteria. You can't tell if food carries surface bacteria by how it looks, smells or tastes.

6. Be sure to kill harmful bacteria by cooking food until it reaches the proper temperature. Take a digital instant-read thermometer. The color of the meat is not an indicator that the meat is cooked. Clean the thermometer each time it is used.

• 71 degrees C (160 degrees F) for ground beef
• 85 degrees C (185 degrees F) for whole poultry
• 74 degrees C (165 degrees F) for leftover food

7. Bring plastic bags/containers to store prepared foods or leftovers.

8. Throw out all perishable foods once the ice or freezer packs have melted or if food has been left out for two hours or more, it must be discarded.

9. When in doubt . . . Throw it out.

Jorie Janzen is a registered dietitian with the Winnipeg Health Region.

	About Wave Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Health Region in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books. Read the Summer 2009 issue of Wave