Food Safety for Picnics and Grilling
Picnics, barbecues, and potlucks are wonderful ways to celebrate summer
holidays, but whatever your plans, take care to prepare and transport food
safely. Whether your picnic is a big event or a simple cook-out, a little
planning will help prevent food-borne illnesses common during the summer
months.

Bacteria begin to multiply between 40°F and 135°F, so it's important to keep
it either cold or hot right up to the moment of cooking and/or serving.
If food is not cooked right it can make you sick. That includes under cooked
meat, poultry and seafood. And what most people don’t realize is that
contaminated fruits and vegetables are a big cause of food-borne illness
too.
You can start to feel the effects of the not so fabulous food anywhere from
a few hours to 5 days after eating it. So often it is hard to pinpoint the
culprit. There are simple steps that you can take to make sure that the food
is safe.
Transporting Food Safety
·
Make sure your cooler will keep foods at 41°F, or plan foods that are less
perishable, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, peanut butter, etc.
·
Keep drinks in a separate cooler, since it will be opened more often or
here’s a great tip: freeze your water bottles and use them to keep your
ready to eat foods cold.
·
Try to take only what will be eaten so you won't have leftovers. Food that
has been out of the refrigerator for 2 hours should be thrown out.
·
Don't partially precook meat or poultry before transporting; cook until done
then chill before packing in the cooler.
·
Pack condiments in small containers rather than taking whole jars.
·
Keep cooler in the inside of the car rather than the hot trunk, then in the
shade at your picnic site; add new ice often. Hint: place ice in zip sealed
plastic bags and layer between your food items to keep all food cool at 41ºF
and below.
·
If you cook food ahead of time, chill thoroughly before putting it in the
cooler. If you take hot food, wrap the dish in aluminum foil and towels to
keep it above 135°F; if it's a long trip (more than 2 hours) it is best not
to take a hot dish.
·
Take-out foods like fried chicken or barbecue should be eaten within 2 hours
of purchase or thoroughly chilled before adding to the cooler and
transporting.

The State of Ohio recently launched a new flu Web site, www.flu.ohio.gov. This site will allow you to find the most accurate information about H1N1 in OHIO. This new site has all the great information the Ohio Department of Health site had, but is easier to navigate.
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Extreme Heat Safety Information
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Click Here
to see a current Needs Assessment for Belmont County. (This is a
comparison of Belmont County with the rest of the state in many different
categories.
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