Keep your 250th American birthday celebration safe this July 4th with tips from the USDA. Grilling and eating outdoors pose special challenges for food safety, especially when the weather is hot.
Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears said in a statement, “The summer heat increases food safety risks, but simple steps can prevent foodborne illness from outdoor gatherings. Keeping perishables in coolers or insulated containers, following a two-hour rule (or one hour when temperatures are above 90 F), and grilling meats to safe internal temperatures are easy ways to protect friends and family from harmful bacteria as we all celebrate America’s 250th birthday.”
When you marinate meat, always keep it in the fridge, never on the counter. And if you want to use the marinade as a sauce or dip, it must be boiled for a few minutes to kill any pathogens that may have been present on the meat.
Raw meat and raw poultry must reach a safe minimum internal temperature before they are eaten. Beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks, chops, and roasts should be cooked to a minimum of 145°F. Seafood should also be cooked to 145°F. Ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal need to reach 160°F, and all poultry, including whole pieces and ground, has to be cooked to 165°F. And make sure you use a reliable and accurate food thermometer.
Always use a clean platter for cooked foods. Do not put cooked foods onto plates that held raw meat and poultry. Avoid the danger zone of 40°F to 140°F, where bacteria can double in 20 minutes. Keep hot foods hot, above 140°F, using chafing dishes, slow cookers, or a preheated grill. Keep cold food cold at or below 40°F by placing dishes on ice or keeping them in a cooler.
Remember that all perishable foods need to be removed after two hours out of the fridge or off the grill. This time shrinks to one hour when the ambient air temperature is above 90°F.
And be careful with leftovers. Coolers, even with ice, are not intended to cool food down, but instead are made to hold food at the same temperature they were when they were put into the container. It’s safer to just discard all perishable foods after your celebration.
