Summer food safety tips
There's so much to love about summer food -- sweet strawberries, fresh oysters, juicy burgers hot off the grill, crunchy salads, and a few beers. But many experts say it's important to proceed with caution.
Food spoils much faster in the summer and preparation techniques can make things a little more dicey. Here are some foods and drinks that you should consume and prepare with special care when the warm weather rolls in.
Oysters and shellfish
Though still relatively uncommon, vibrio, a bacteria found in warm saltwater, is on the rise in the U.S. The most surefire ways to avoid the bacteria is to skip uncooked shellfish.
Opt for cooked oysters instead of raw. These and other types of sea creatures are delicious when fried, simmered, boiled or baked.
If you’re set on eating them straight from the sea, there are a number of ways to determine if the oyster is starting to go bad. Make sure the oyster is fully closed before it’s cut open for consumption. If the shell is cracked or has started to open up and the contents are seeping out, don't eat it. The oyster itself should be shiny and smooth; if it’s shriveled and hard, the flesh is rotten.
Eggs
An egg salad sandwich may not be the best choice for a picnic. Without the proper refrigeration it could cause a serious case of food poisoning.
The FDA estimates that each year some 142,000 cases of food-borne illness are caused by eating eggs contaminated with salmonella, a type of bacteria that causes diarrhea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal distress.
To avoid running from your picnic in pain, don’t prepare or serve anything that contains raw eggs. Thankfully, culinary ingenuity has provided the world with eggless mayo, a great substitute for the real thing if you’re making sandwiches to take on the go.
Safe grilling
Summer isn’t the same without dinner on the grill, and it's a great way to keep your feast low-cal. However, this method of cooking also poses some health risks.
The National Toxicology Program finds four heterocyclic amines (HCAs) -- chemicals that emerge from cooking meats at high temperature -- are potentially carcinogenic and may damage human genes. To make your steak safer, cook at a lower temperature and avoid burning or charring meat.
It’s also critical to use the right BBQ tools. The Centers for Disease Control has warned chefs to pay close attention to the state of their metal grill brush. In recent years there have been reports of injuries caused by the wire bristles that can fall off the brush and onto your dinner. If swallowed, they can puncture internal tissue such as the esophagus or the intestinal tract.
Dairy
There’s no use crying over spilled milk. However, spoiled milk is a whole different story. Nothing makes milk and other dairy products go bad quite like the sweltering heat, which may ultimately cause a Staphylococcusor or E. coli infection.
Milk and other dairy products tend to turn much faster in the summertime due to Lactobasilas, a bacteria that’s present in all dairy. Never leave dairy products sitting outside the fridge for too long.
And avoid eating raw dairy foods, which have been linked to food poisoning at rates 150 times higher than pasteurized dairy products.
Raw meat
Well-marinated meat is especially tasty, but be sure to refrigerate it until cooking. Leaving raw meat out for too long is a surefire way to risk a case of E. coli or salmonella poisoning.
Defrost meat overnight in your fridge, or meat can also be defrosted in a bowl of cold water or your microwave.
Never reuse utensils, bowls or plates that have touched raw meat without thoroughly cleaning them first. Wash hands with soap and warm water before moving on to prepping a salad or other dishes.
And even though you may cooking for a party of 20, try not to over-stuff the refrigerator. An overstocked fridge won’t stay as cold and meat will spoil if it’s not kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Fruit
Summer’s sweet bounty, such as luscious strawberries, fuzzy peaches and juicy nectarines, all topped this year’s Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list, which ranks produce with the highest concentrated traces of pesticides.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy fresh fruit safely. Wash fruit thoroughly, and you might consider going organic for fruits that are known to contain high levels of pesticides.
Store fresh fruit in the fridge at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and keep it away from raw meat or chicken to avoid cross-contamination.
Vegetables
The salad days of summer may not be so carefree. Leafy greens such as spinach and kale also have been found to contain residues of organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, according to the Environmental Working Group.
Salad greens have also been the subject of numerous recalls by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the years for containing E. coli and other bacteria. One recent report found lettuce and spinach were the leading source of food poisoning, and produce accounts for nearly half of all food-borne illnesses.
It’s important to refrigerate fresh veggies. If you're hitting your local farmer’s market, it may be best to go early to avoid buying produce that’s been sitting out in the heat and sun for hours.
When preparing food, keep veggies away from uncooked meats, which can be a source of bacteria such as salmonella.
Water
Traveling this summer? Make certain the water coming out of the faucets is actually safe to drink.
If you’re headed abroad, gather some information about the safety of the local tap water before you go. Water supplies in other countries can contain harmful parasites and bacteria such as giardia, E. coli, cholera, salmonella and even viruses such as hepatitis C and rotavirus. Consult a traveler’s guidebook or website, local tourism board, or hotel personnel.
To protect yourself wherever you go, it may be best to stick with bottled water. Or invest in a travel-size water filter or water purifying tablets, which are relatively cheap and won’t take up much room in your suitcase.
Alcohol
Barbecues and other summertime parties typically involve some, if not a lot, of drinking. But most people don’t realize that drinking during the summer can pose extra health hazards. Hot weather causes fluid loss through perspiration, while alcohol leads to fluid loss through urination -- leading to risk of dehydration.
If you plan to drink, take measures to stay properly hydrated. Moderation is key, and alternate alcoholic beverages with glasses of cold water.
Excessive drinking can also lead to falls, accidents and injuries such as broken bones or a split head.