SUNBURY – Stop foodborne illness before it starts . . . It’s officially barbecue season and picnics are popping up all over the place, but fun in the sun can lead to foodborne illness without the proper precautions.
Penn State Cooperative Extension Food Safety Specialist Samantha Zlotorzynski said using a meat thermometer and creating a handwashing station out of a clean cooler are good ways to prevent bacterial infections, “Things that we commonly see with summer food safety are things like e. Coli or salmonella. Another potential foodborne illness is a neurovirus, which comes from not using proper procedure to wash our hands and the utensils that we’re using.”
She also suggests keeping uncooked meats in a separate cooler from drinks and ready-to-eat foods, “They stay out of that temperature danger zone. If you think about how we use coolers – we’re constantly opening and closing them, opening and closing them – so the food cooler will probably not stay at its designated temperature.”
You can hear Zlotorzynski’s entire WKOK Sunrise interview HERE or wherever you get your podcasts. Visit extension.psu.edu for more summer food safety tips.
