From the End Zone: Touchdown Tips for Food Safety
Sports fans are gearing up across the country to tackle
tailgating. This season, the American Dietetic Association
offesr tips to defend your pre- and post-game gatherings
from the most challenging opponent – food poisoning.
- Wash hands before, during and after preparing food
for a tailgate. Sing your favorite team’s fight song – while
lathering with soap and water for 20 seconds.
- Be sure to
pack moist towelettes for guests to clean up before
digging in.
- Always defrost meats in the refrigerator or in
the microwave – never at the tailgate. Marinate meat
in the refrigerator and don’t reuse the marinade
unless boiled.
- For the trip to the tailgate, tightly seal
raw or thawed meat in plastic wrap to prevent juices
from contaminating other food items. Consider packing
meat products in one cooler and additional foods in another.
- Keep
raw meats and ready-to-eat foods separate. Pack extra
or color-coded plates or utensils to help prevent cross-contamination.
Use one set for raw foods and another for cooked foods.
- Cook
to proper temperatures. A meat thermometer is the only
reliable way to ensure foods are safe to eat.
- Tailgating favorites
like hamburgers and bratwurst should be cooked to 160°F and chicken breasts to 170° F.
- Pack
food in a well-insulated cooler with plenty of ice
or icepacks to keep temperatures below 40° F.
Keep a refrigerator thermometer inside the cooler at
all times to monitor the temperature.
- In cool-weather climates,
transport coolers in your trunk rather than in a heated
car – the
cold temperatures outside will help keep food chilled.
For warmer climates, do the opposite. Transport coolers
in the backseat of your air-conditioned car instead of
the hot trunk, especially for long road trips.
- Don’t forget
that carry-out and/or pre-prepared foods are also susceptible
to food poisoning.
- Throw away perishable tailgate items
before entering the game. Foods should not be left
unrefrigerated for more than two hours. In hot weather
(90 ° F
or above) this time is reduced to one hour.
- After the game,
serve and eat only non-perishable foods unless foods
packed in the cooler remain stored at 40° F or below.
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