Summer is upon us and there are some things to keep in mind to prevent having a food borne illness ruin your vacation or summer get together. Here are some tips from the Fight BAC!® team as the warmer summer temperatures make for ideal environments for bacteria to grow.

1. Keep your hands clean. Always wash your hands in warm water and soap for 20 seconds before handling food.
2. Be Marinade Smart! Marinade your food in the refrigerator under 41°F, especially in the summer months when air temperatures can be higher. Then remember to discard that sauce so that you don’t mistakenly use it on cooked food later. If you want to put aside some of the marinade before you add the meat or poultry to it, you can do that but keep that cold as well.
3. Make sure you use a new plate for cooked foods from the grill and not the plate that has had raw meats, poultry or fish on it.
4. Make sure you grilling coals are hot before cooking. You want to preheat them for 20 to 30 minutes or until the coals are lightly coated with ash.
5. Always use a food thermometer to ensure that you food reaches the safe internal temperatures. You can not tell just by looking.
6. Check out these safe cooking or grilling temperatures.
   1. Poultry – chicken, ground chicken or turkey – must reach 165°F internally.
   2. Beef Hamburgers or other ground meats – pork or beef – must reach 160°F internally
   3. Larger cuts of beef such as steaks – must reach 145°F internally for medium rare or 160°F for medium.
   4. Fish should be cooked to opaque and flake easily.
7. During the hot summer temperatures, 90°F or higher, make sure to get perishable foods such as salads, cut fruit or vegetables, cooked meats, poultry or fish into refrigerators or coolers within an hour. At higher temperatures, bacteria grows at a faster rate.
8. To help keep coolers cold, keep them out of direct sunlight. Have a beverage cooler and a food cooler since the beverage cooler is opened more often. Also, a packed cooler will stay colder so add extra ice or ice packs to ensure the food inside stays at a safe cool temperature.

Plan ahead if you are taking foods for a picnic or outing away from home. Make sure you bring your food thermometer with you. It can check cold temperatures as well as internal cooking temperatures. Just make sure to clean and wipe with sanitizing wipes (like alcohol wipes) between using.

For more summertime and other food safety tips, visit Partnership for Food Safety Education