Keep Food Cool in the Summer

• As temperatures rise, so does the incidence of food borne illness. On warm summer days the temperature of foods quickly reaches the danger zone (between 4 ° C and 60 ° C) where illness causing bacteria multiply rapidly. So at the grocery store, pick up refrigerated and deli food last.
• If the drive home will take longer than 30 minutes, pack these foods in an iced cooler.
• When you get home from grocery shopping, place meat, poultry and fish on a tray to prevent their juices dripping onto other foods. Store these perishable foods in the coldest part of the refrigerator and use within the following times or freeze for later use. Ground meat and poultry should be used within 24 hours. Use other cuts of poultry within 2 days and other cuts of meat within 3 to 4 days. Use fresh fish within 2 days.
• Regularly check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer. They may need to be put on colder settings during the summertime in order to store foods at temperatures below the danger zone . The refrigerator should register below 40 ° F/4 ° C and the freezer temperature should be 0 ° F/-18 ° C or lower.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator or iced cooler within 1 hour of cooking. To help large amounts of food, like a big batch of chili, cool more quickly, divide into smaller batches and put into shallow containers.
• When transporting raw, home cooked, or take-out food to a picnic or camp site, chill ahead of time. Then transfer the chilled food directly from the refrigerator into an iced cooler with sufficient ice, dry ice or freezer gel packs to keep food at a safe temperature, below 40 ° F/4 ° C.
• Use a separate cooler for drinks so the food-cooler won’t be constantly opened.