Food Safety and You - Pack a Safe and Healthy Picnic

LSU AgCenter

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Pack a safe picnic

For a simple picnic:

Make sure the cooler is filled with ice or ice packs.
Return chilled foods to the cooler right after serving.
Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before handling food.
Adults should supervise handwashing for children.
Make sure you have lots of paper plates, napkins, utensils and clean dishes to hold foods.

For a cookout:

Separate storage bags and containers during transportation, and make sure the containers are sealed properly so raw meat and poultry juices do not leak onto fruits, vegetables, and cooked foods.
Wash your hands with hot, soapy water before handling food.
Use a food thermometer to make sure you cook foods to a safe internal temperature.
Return leftovers to the cooler with plenty of ice or frozen gel packs within two hours of serving — one hour if the day’s temperature is above 90 degrees.

Pack a healthy picnic

For a simple picnic:

Pack your picnic basket with lots of colorful, seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Use raw vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini and celery as appetizers and serve hummus or salsa as a dip.
Prepare cool salads filled with chopped vegetables and tossed with light, low-fat dressings instead of potato salads and pasta salads.
Choose drinks like water or 100 percent fruit juice instead of sugary sodas.
Serve sandwiches or burgers on 100 percent whole wheat bread or buns to add whole grains.
Try angel food cake topped with fresh berries for a refreshing dessert.

For a cookout:

Take along vegetables like colorful peppers, zucchini, onions and portobello mushrooms to put on the grill.
Grill burgers made with lean beef or ground turkey breast or go for a veggie burger.
Dress grilled burgers with lots of fresh vegetables, like lettuce and tomatoes, and use avocados in place of mayonnaise.

4/20/2018 8:18:55 PM

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