Food Safety and Inspection Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

News Release

Susan Conley (202) 720-7943
Carol Blake (202) 720-9113

Handle Food Safely for Fourth of July Picnics

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2001 - As you plan your Fourth of July picnics and gatherings, be sure to put food safety on your checklist. There are ways to ensure that the food you prepare will be safe as well as delicious. However, keep in mind that cases of foodborne illness normally rise during the summer.

First, harmful bacteria that may be present in the environment and in foods grow faster in the warm summer months. Most foodborne bacteria grow fastest at temperatures from 90 to 110 °F. Bacteria also need moisture to flourish, and summer weather is often hot and humid.

Second, there are the "people" causes for the upswing in summertime foodborne illnesses. More people are cooking outside at picnics, barbecues, and on camping trips. The safety controls that a kitchen provides -- thermostat-controlled cooking, refrigeration, and washing facilities -- are often not available.

Additionally, food at picnics and other outdoor gatherings may be prepared by well-intentioned volunteer cooks who don’t necessarily know how to safely prepare, store, and serve large quantities of food. Food that is mishandled can cause serious foodborne illness.

To keep picnickers safe from foodborne illness, The Partnership for Food Safety Education says consumers can Fight BAC!™ (bacteria) by following these four simple steps to safer food in the summertime.

Unwashed hands and surfaces are a prime cause of foodborne illness.

• Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and handling pets.
• When eating away from home, find out if there's a source of clean water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Or pack clean, wet, disposable cloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.

Separate: Don't Cross-Contaminate.

Cross-contamination during preparation, grilling, and serving food is a prime cause of foodborne illness.

• Always marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade. Don’t put raw meat and poultry in it. Don’t reuse the marinade used on raw meat or poultry unless it’s boiled first to destroy any bacteria.
• When packing the cooler for an outing, wrap raw meat and poultry securely to prevent juices from coming in contact with ready-to-eat food.
• Wash plates, utensils, and cutting boards that held the raw meat or poultry before using again for cooked food. Carry a clean plate out to the grill to hold the safely cooked food.

Cook: Cook to Proper Temperatures.

Food safety experts agree that food is safely cooked when it reaches the safe internal temperature needed to kill harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

• Take your thermometer along. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside, so be sure that they are cooked thoroughly. Check them with a food thermometer.
• Cook hamburger and other ground meats (veal, lamb, and pork) to an internal temperature of 160 °F and ground poultry to 165 °F. Beef, veal and lamb steaks and roasts may be cooked to 145 °F for medium rare. Whole poultry should be cooked to 180 °F as measured in the thigh; breast meat to 170 °F. All cuts of pork should reach 160 °F.
• Cook meat and poultry completely at the picnic site. Partial cooking of food ahead of time allows bacteria to multiply to the point that subsequent cooking cannot destroy them.

Chill: Refrigerate Promptly.

Holding food at an unsafe temperature is a prime cause of foodborne illness. Keep cold food cold!

• Bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 and 140 °F. Never leave food in this "danger zone" more than two hours, one hour in temperatures above 90 °F.
• Cold perishable food like luncheon meats, cooked meats, chicken, and potato or pasta salads should be kept in an insulated cooler packed with several inches of ice, frozen gel packs, or containers of frozen water.
• Keep the cooler in the coolest part of the car, and place in the shade or shelter, out of the sun, whenever possible. Chill cold drinks in a separate cooler to avoid constantly opening the one containing perishable foods.
• Preserve the cold temperature of the cooler by replenishing the ice as soon as it starts melting.
• Take-out food: If you don't plan to eat take-out food within two hours of purchase, plan ahead and chill the food in your refrigerator before packing for your outing.

A new USDA publication helps consumers to safely plan and serve food for a large event. Single copies of the 40-page colorful Cooking for Groups: A Volunteer's Guide to Food Safety are available free by writing: Federal Consumer Information Center, Item #604 H, Pueblo, CO 81009. The Cooking for Groups Web page can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/cfg/cfg.htm.

 The Hotline is staffed by food safety experts, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time. In addition, food safety information is available on the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.

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For Further Information, Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 690-0460

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