SAFE FOOD PICNICKING WITH KIDS
National Network for Child Care's Connections
Newsletter
Lynn Horning, M.S.
Assistant director
Better Kid Care Project
College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University
James E. Van Horn, Ph.D. (Ed.)
Director
Better Kid Care Project
College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University
Copyright/Access Information
Children love picnics, but remember, food spoils quickly in the
summer heat. In hot weather, it is especially important to pack
food carefully to prevent foodborne illness.
Here are some tips to help you prepare for safe and tasty picnics.
- Use commercial ice packs or make your own. To make your own
ice pack, take some ice cubes and place them in the kind of plastic
bag that's meant for the freezer. Wrap the bag with foil and
place either this "ice pack" or a freezer gel pack
inside your cooler or bag to keep food cold.
- Make several sandwiches at one time. Wrap each sandwich by
itself and freeze it separately. After the sandwiches are frozen,
put them all together in a big plastic bag and keep them in the
freezer until you're ready to leave. Simple sandwiches like peanut
butter, cheese, sliced meat, or poultry sandwiches freeze best.
- When you leave the house, place the frozen sandwiches in
your cooler or bag. They will thaw by lunchtime. Put lettuce,
tomato, and mayonnaise in a separate container and add them to
the sandwiches just before you eat them.
- Freeze small cans or boxes of juice or small containers of
yogurt or applesauce, and place them in your cooler or bag. The
frozen food will thaw by lunchtime.
- Serve safe, warm-weather lunch foods such as fresh or canned
fruit, raw vegetables, raisins, crackers, or cookies.
- Pack all food in clean plastic wrap or sandwich bags.
Here are some tips to help you serve safe food at the picnic site:
- Keep the cooler in the shade. Don't leave it in direct sunlight
or in the trunk of the car.
- Keep the lid on the cooler. Avoid opening the cooler frequently.
- Add more ice if the ice begins to melt.
- Do not leave food out for more than an hour in hot weather.
- Serve food from the cooler quickly.
- Serve small portions so the food doesn't stay out of the
cooler too long.
If you plan to prepare food at the picnic site, there are some
other rules you should follow.
- Keep food cold until you're ready to grill it.
- Cook food completely at the picnic site; no partial cooking
ahead of time.
- Cook food thoroughly; red meat and poultry until it is no
longer pink and juices run clear, fish until it flakes with a
fork.
- Use a clean plate to serve cooked food.
- Make sure that juices from raw meat don't come in contact
with other foods.
Reprinted from *Food Tips and Recipes*, Penn State College
of Agriculture.
DOCUMENT
USE/COPYRIGHT
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the
National Extension Service
Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission
is granted to reproduce
these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only
(not for profit beyond the cost of
reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment
and this notice is
included:
Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child
Care - NNCC. Van Horn, J. E. and Horning, L. (1995). Safe food:
picnicking with kids. In Todd, C.M. (Ed.), *Family child care
connections*, 4(5), Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois
Cooperative Extension Service.
FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW::
Level 3 - National Peer Review
DOCUMENT SIZE:: 6K or 3 pages
ENTRY DATE:: May 1996