010571 Serving Up Safety During BBQ Season

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer BBQ season. But are you prepared for summer food safety?

If you don't watch out, uninvited guests can crash your picnic and endanger the lives of your family and friends. These guests include Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Camplyobacter, Listeria, and even eColi, all foodborne bacteria that can make you sick, and in some cases, can kill you.

"A big factor is washing your hands," says Dr. Linda Harris, a food safety specialist and microbiologist at U.C. Davis. The first big mistake people make with food, contaminating fresh fruits and veggies with pathogens found in raw meat or poultry juices. "You have to keep things clean," explains Harris. "You have to be careful about the knives you use or any other utensils that you use.. especially if you're handling raw meat and poultry at the same time. You want to avoid cross- contaminating the two products."

Cross-contamination and food poisoning can occur in the least obvious place. Consider this: meat stored above lettuce in a refrigerator drips onto the lettuce. "It wasn't properly washed afterwards and there was an outbreak as a result," says Harris.

Here are some other tips to keep your summer BBQ's healthy:

Store all perishables in a cooler with ice or freeze them in packs until serving time.

Use a thermos designed for hot foods to keep stews, soups, or chili at a safe high temperature. Always wash your hands before touching or preparing food. If soap and hot water are unavailable, take along hand-wipes or a hand sanitizer. Refrigerate all leftovers within two hours if the outdoor temperature is below 90 degrees; within one hour if the weather is hotter.

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