June 2009 - Constituent Society Corner

Outdoor Food Safety

by Bernadette Moussa, Hons. BSc, BASc, CPHI(c), Public Health Inspector Region with the Waterloo Public Health Department

During the summer, with warmer temperatures, people spend more time participating in outdoor food preparation (e.g., BBQs) and activities such as camping, swimming and hiking. As a result, proper cooking and cold holding temperature control during these activities can be difficult. There is also increased risk of contamination due to lack of adequate hand washing facilities, storing raw foods on top of ready to eat food and using the same utensils to handle raw meats as cooked and ready to eat foods.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, an estimated 11 million people suffer from food related illness every year in Canada. The most common food-borne pathogens in Canada are: Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E.coli. The most common water-borne pathogens are Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter, Shigella and E.coli. The most common types of illness during the summer months are Campylobacter jejuni and E.coli. Children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Symptoms of food-borne illness may include but are not limited to stomach cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Typically, food-borne illness onset occurs within 6 hours to 10 days of consuming contaminated food, depending on the pathogen.

It is essential to remember safe food handling practices to prevent food-borne illnesses during the outdoor season.

Tips to avoid the risk of food-borne illness:

  1. Clean — hand-washing is the most important method to minimize the risk of food-borne illness. Washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm soapy water before and after handling food, as well as cleaning and sanitizing utensils and surfaces which come in contact with food will help reduce your chances of becoming ill. When water for hand washing is not available, and hands are not visibly soiled, alcohol-based hand gel sanitizers are a good alternative to hand washing.
  2. Cook — it is important to cook meats to the proper internal temperatures. Note: the only way to ensure that food is thoroughly cooked is the use of an accurate probe thermometer.
    Table 1 - Internal Temperatures for Cooked Meats
    Food Temperature
    Whole Poultry 82°C (180°F)
    Poultry other than whole 74°C (165°F)
    Ground Beef 71°C (160°F)
    Pork 71°C (160°F)
    Fish 70°C (158°F)
  3. Chill — Keep perishable foods, meats, poultry, fish and salads refrigerated at 4°C (40°F) or cooler until you are ready to use them. Never defrost food at room temperature.
  4. Separate — when preparing foods, use separate utensils and cutting boards for both raw and cooked foods. Store raw meats below ready to eat foods and avoid raw juices dripping onto ready to eat foods. In addition, sauces that are used as marinate on food items should not be used on cooked foods.
  5. Store — if there are leftovers after a meal, cover them, refrigerate within 2 hours. When re-heating leftovers, re-heat them to at least 74°C (165°F).

For additional food safety information, please contact your local Public Health Department.