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Traveling with Food

Labor Day is around the corner, and there is still plenty of opportunity to picnic away from home in the warm weather. A day in the park and a picnic sound great—but would be ruined if the picnic foods were not handled appropriately, and everyone became ill! By remembering a few simple rules for handling your picnic items, the only thing you should have to worry about is where to go to relax!

• Start with clean preparation practices at home. Wash your hands before doing any food prep—and clean your counters before use.
• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Keep salads and cut fruits in the cooler on ice, and keep hot items hot during transportation by wrapping containers in towels or keeping them in hot crock pots until you can plug them in at your destination.
• Potentially hazardous foods can only be kept out at room temperature for two hours—or less if the temperature is above 75 degrees. Use chafing bowls to place ice in to keep salads cold while serving foods.
• Keep drinks in one cooler, and foods in another—so that the foods stay cool.
• Bring along disposable serving utensils, so that clean-up will be quick and easy.
• Keep foods cold until reaching your destination, then heat—such as hot dogs and hamburgers—again, use disposable plates so you do not cross-contaminate.
• Use drink coolers to transport cold drinks or water. This water can also be used for clean-up if necessary.
• Bring along baby wipes or antiseptic wipes to use for hands if hand washing facilities are not available.