MEDIA RELEASE
22 November 2001
Keep picnic and BBQ food poisoning bugs at bay
This is Food Safety Week which this year has as its theme 'Chill out this Summer' and is spreading the word about how to keep food properly chilled to prevent food poisoning bacteria from growing.
Chairman of the Food Safety Information Council, Barry Shay, says 'this is especially important for outdoor picnics or barbeques where food is taken out of the fridge and transported to the picnic site. The temperature may be high and the picnic site may be some distance from home.
'You have to rely on an esky to keep your food cold. It's hard to get a cooler as reliably and evenly cold as a fridge.' Barry says.
'By the time you get to eat it the food may have reached a temperature where it's been in the danger zone for too long and bacteria have been able to multiply. When you eat it you could get food poisoning.
'You need lots of ice blocks, frozen bricks or gel packs around the food. Frozen drinks thaw quickly in warm weather and serve as extra cool bricks.
'Don't overcrowd the cooler or the cool air can't circulate properly around the food. If there's no more space, do you know which items will stay safe if removed from the esky?
'Most people know to keep the meat, especially poultry well chilled, but dishes like rice or pasta salad can be just as dangerous as meat. Dried rice and pasta may contain bacteria which produce spores which can survive the cooking process. These bacteria will grow if the salads are then stored at room temperature. Always keep these dishes in the esky.
'If you don't have enough space, how about removing the beer or other cold drinks. You can keep them fairly cold by wrapping them in lots of newspaper. At least the beer can't give you food poisoning - the food can.
'You also need to be careful about how you pack the food into the esky. Put raw meat on the bottom, If you don't, the blood and juices from the meat could drip on to the salads. Those juices can contain food poisoning bacteria which will now be on the salads. If you cook the meat properly before you eat it that will kill the bacteria on the meat, but you'll eat the bacteria along with the salads.
'And make sure you cook poultry or minced meat right through to the centre, with no hint of pink left. Steaks or chops can be cooked to your preference, but poultry and minced meat can be dangerous if not well done.
'These are simple steps you can take to make sure you enjoy your picnic or barbecue without suffering any unwanted after effects.
'And don't forget you also need to keep your perishable food chilled and your raw meat where it can't drip onto ready to eat food when you're bringing your groceries home after shopping', Mr Shay said.
Television please note
Video footage of picnics is included in our video news release which was sent out by satellite to all stations by Media Monitors on Monday 19 November.