Melissa Wright, the director of the Food Producer Technical Assistance Network in Virginia Tech’s Department of Food Science and Technology, has outlined four key areas that everyone should look out for when maintaining food safety.

“Safe food handling when eating outdoors is critical.”

Wright reminds everyone to clean both your hands and surfaces thoroughly before food prep. Make sure to wash your hands after handling any raw food, and again before serving, and ensure that your eating surface and serving dishes are clean.

When prepping, make sure you keep everything separate to prevent contamination. Keep raw meats, raw fruits and veggies, and prepared dishes away from each other.

When cooking, remember not to reuse utensils to handle prepared food unless they have been washed in hot, soapy water.

When everything is cooked, be sure to keep everything at a safe temperature. The “Danger zone” is defined as between 40°F and 140°F, which is when foodborne bacteria can form most efficiently.

The key is to never let your picnic food remain in the “Danger Zone” - between 40°F and 140°F - for more than 2 hours or 1 hour if outdoor temperatures are above 90°F. This is when bacteria in food can multiply rapidly, and lead to foodborne illness.”

If food is in the danger zone for more than two hours, it’s recommended that you don’t eat it out of safety concerns.

For the full article from Virginia Tech, click here .