Hurrah, summer! Time for picnics and barbecues…and stomach distress from bacteria-laden food. Oops! Sorry to be a downer. Here’s a rule (or two) to remember when putting out the party food—so no one gets walloped by your Waldorf…
Every year, an estimated 76 million Americans get sick because of foodborne illness, and more than 5,000 people die from it. But those numbers could be lowered if people heeded the “two-hour food rule.”
Basically, perishable food that is exposed to the open air for longer than two hours will grow bacteria to harmful levels (yuk!). So at a party or a picnic—wherever you serve food—keep track of the amount of time the food has been out of the refrigerator or oven. And after two hours, wrap the food properly and put it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Also, when a platter is empty (or almost empty) and you want to refill it, do not just dump new food on top of the old food—in fact, don’t even put new food on the empty-but-used platter. Each time you want to set out new food, wash the platter first, or serve the new food on another clean platter. Have a happy, healthful Memorial Day!
More about keeping germ-free…
