The Crucial Food Safety Rule For The Most Successful Summer Picnics
BY MIKE DUNPHY
While picnics take place in a memorable and relaxed environment, it's essential to follow a key food safety rule — keep all picnic food in the safe temperature zone.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration instructs picnickers to keep all food outside the "danger zone" of 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours.
Reduce this time to one hour if the outside temperature is above 90 degrees. In a car, the temperature can rise to 109 degrees in just 20 minutes and 118 degrees in 40 minutes.
Bacteria can grow quickly in the heat, impacting your food, so pack food in a cooler, ideally filled with ¼ ice and ¾ food and drink to keep it in the safe temperature zone.