The good weather arrives and with it the desire to go on an excursion, especially celebrating weekends or beach meals, barbecues, picnics ... It is an excellent family activity, but, What needs to be taken into account regarding safety when eating outdoors?
Because if you always have to be careful with food, when preparing, storing and preserving it, when it's hot you have to be even more alert. But by following these tips, we will make the family outdoor meal a success and soon the little ones want to repeat.
And it is that bacteria also come out of picnic, and high temperatures favor the growth of bacteria in food. Therefore, food safety advice must be followed at all times and, above all, pay attention to the cold chain in refrigerated foods.
Eat safe in the countryside, mountains, beach ...
- It is very important to keep the cold chain. Store foods that need cold just before leaving in the portable refrigerator.
- If you have cooked food, you must keep it in the fridge until the last minute.
- Airtight cold accumulators are better than ice cubes.
- If you are going to use ice cubes, make sure that the melted water does not come into direct contact with food.
- Upon arrival at the destination, place the fridge in the shade.
- Keep food in the refrigerator until immediately before cooking or consumption.
- Avoid opening the portable refrigerator unnecessarily, we will lose cold every time we do it.
- If you prepare an omelet, set it well and keep it in the fridge until it is time to leave and transfer it to the portable refrigerator.
- Wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them, better at home if we do not have a safe drinking water source at our destination.
- It is advisable to use appropriate containers to store each food.
- If you carry raw foods, separate them from already cooked or ready-to-eat foods, and avoid that if they release liquids they can contaminate other products.
- Wash your hands before touching food and eating.
- If there are no sources of drinking water, be sure to bring a bottle so you can wash yourself before handling food.
- Avoid cross contamination. When preparing or handling food, it is essential to separate raw from cooked or ready-to-eat foods, as well as using plates, knives, etc. different.
- Do not take food containing raw eggs to the excursion (such as mayonnaise, sauces ...), since they are very sensitive to temperature changes.
Barbecue Tips
The barbecue or grilled food is suitable for children as long as we follow these tips. Many of the above points apply equally to barbecues and we have to differentiate whether we barbecue at home or away, where we don't have a refrigerator or access to simple drinking water.
- Maintain proper hygiene of food and the grill itself where you place them.
- Wash your hands with soap and clean water before handling food and dry them preferably with single-use cloths.
- Keep the tongs that take food clean.
- To make fire, use preferably non-resinous, first-use woods, without any varnish or paint residue.
- Keep raw food in the fridge as long as possible. If you are not at home, use a portable refrigerator.
- Remove the meat or raw fish from the portable refrigerator when the embers are ready.
- Do not churrasque food: they have to be well made, but not burned. When carbonizing the food, a harmful black layer is created, with toxic substances harmful to the organism.
- Food must be properly cooked inside, presenting a uniform color throughout its surface. If necessary, we can make small cuts in the piece to check the cooking.
- Find out about the places and times authorized to carry out barbecues, since they are prohibited in many cases.
You, Have you already made any family meal outdoors this spring? Do not forget the appropriate sun protection and take advantage of these excursions, also with many fun games. And of course, we have to leave the place where we had such a good time as we were when we arrived!
