Take a great summer day, add some fun during a family reunion picnic, and then stir in some food poisoning. It's not exactly a great recipe for an enjoyable family gathering.

Some simple precautions taken with food preparation and handling can go a long way to keep a happy event from turning into a stomach-churning afternoon. Sadly, no food is immune to contamination and given the right circumstances--warm, humid summer days, little or no refrigeration, and lack of kitchen safety controls--only your awareness and watchfulness can lessen the chances of someone getting food poisoning.

Doug Robertson, interim associate director of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Food and Nutrition Services offers these suggestions for a safe and happy summer picnic:

• Wash your hands before you start working with food and wash your hands as you move from one food to the next. Wash all fruits and vegetables before leaving the house. Bring a wet cloth or disposable washcloths and soap with you if there are no kitchen facilities at your picnic site. Wipe down or cover all eating surfaces. Keep food and utensils covered until served. And of course, make sure all picnickers wash their hands before eating.
• Hot food should be hot. Hamburgers should reach 155 degrees during cooking and poultry should reach 165 degrees. Don't precook or partially cook meat before leaving home to make grilling quicker. That gives bacteria a chance to survive and multiply and subsequent cooking may not destroy them. Use a meat thermometer to insure the proper food temperature.
• Cold food should be cold. Keep cold foods in a cooler and don't put them on the table or grill until just before eating. Consider using a separate cooler for beverages and food because the beverage cooler will be opened frequently. There should be enough ice in a cooler to keep the temperature at a minimum of 41 degrees.
• Don't be a vulture and eat the leftovers that have been sitting out. Perishable food left un-refrigerated for more than two hours may not be safe to eat. That time frame goes down to one hour on a really hot day--90 degrees or more. Warm potato salad and deviled eggs can act as breeding grounds for bacteria. Play it safe, and as soon as everyone has eaten, put the perishables back on ice.

And the final piece of advice, if you have any doubts about whether you should eat a food or take it home as a leftover--DON'T. Throw it out and be safe. 

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