Memorial Day is the Start of Outdoor Summer Cooking & Eating

But Keep in Mind Food Safety for Barbecues and Picnics

By Dr. Tamika Perry, family medicine, WellMed at Redbird Square

 Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember and honor the men and women who have served our country. It’s also the traditional start of the summer vacation and travel season – a time for family getaways, flavorful barbecues, and picnics. 

During this time, taking precautions regarding safe food handling, preparation, and cooking is essential to avoid foodborne illnesses like Salmonella and E. coli, which can be severe and sometimes life-threatening. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year, 48 million Americans get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases. 

Typical food-poisoning symptoms include vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and fever, all of which may range from mild to severe and can last from a few hours to several days. Health care professionals caution that certain people, including pregnant women, older adults aged 65 or older, young children under five years of age, and people with weakened immune systems, have an increased risk of becoming very sick from foodborne illness.

To help you keep your families healthy and protect them from food poisoning, here are some general food and kitchen hygiene tips to help you safely prepare and serve your Memorial Day meal. Foodborne illnesses tend to increase during the summer months because bacteria multiply faster when it’s warm, so following food safety guidelines is especially critical for raw meats, summer salads, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables, among the most perishable foods at cookouts. 

• Clean everything: It is important for those preparing and handling food to frequently wash their hands before, during, and after they start cooking, and to use fresh, clean plates and utensils for serving cooked food. 

• Do not cross-contaminate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs to ready-to-eat food unless they are kept separate. 

• Cook to the right temperature: The only way to tell if food is safely cooked is to use a food thermometer to ensure meat, poultry, and fish are cooked to a safe internal temperature. You can learn more information and view a detailed food list and the correct cooking temperatures at Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature | FoodSafety.gov.
• Refrigerate perishable food within two hours. When food is left unrefrigerated for more than two hours, bacteria grow rapidly. For temperatures over 90°F, food should be refrigerated within an hour.

 Have fun this Memorial Day but be mindful of food safety to help keep your family healthy.

 Dr. Tamika Perry practices family medicine with WellMed at Redbird Square. She received her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine DO program and is board-certified in family medicine and osteopathic manipulative treatment. Additionally, she earned a Master of Public Health from UNT Health Science Center. She was inspired to enter a career in medicine to help provide quality health care to disenfranchised communities. She believes that her ears, eyes, and heart must remain wide open to treat her patients most effectively, and she enjoys working with families within the community.