Keeping your food safe at picnics

Picnics and barbecues are a great way to celebrate summer holidays or

just spend time with friends and family. But the celebration can be

marred if precautions to keep the food safe aren't taken.The Department of Agriculture says prevention starts before and

during a picnic. Keep these food safety tips in mind for your next

outdoor get-together to help prevent food-borne illness:

• At the store, keep meats separate from other items in your shopping cart and grocery bags to avoid cross-contamination.
• Thaw meat completely in the refrigerator so it grills more evenly.
• Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
• Keep cold food cold until serving; keep ready-to-serve food in

  a cooler packed with plenty of ice or freezer packs to minimize

  bacterial growth. Pack beverages in a separate cooler. Because it's

  opened more often, the temperature inside will increase. Use another

  cooler for uncooked meat.

• Keep hot food hot until ready to use; you have a two-hour

  window to eat your food. Use insulated containers, propane slow cookers

  or keep foods on the part of the grill that keeps them warm without

  charring.

• Wash tables or use tablecloths.
• Identify easy access to a water facility.
• Food handlers should wash hands and forearms.
• Guests can clean their hands with soap and water, hand

  sanitizer or wipes. This is especially important when serving finger

  food."Set the hand sanitizer in front of the food line or have a

  hand-washing station that has a basin to capture the running water,"

  says Marilee Poulson, epidemiologist for the Utah Department of Health. "The basin avoids making a mud puddle that attracts mosquitoes."Depending on the venue, dispose of the soapy water appropriately.

• Wash melons before cutting them to minimize pushing bacteria from the rind into the flesh of the melon.
• Don't cut vegetables or other ready-to-eat food on the same

  cutting board as chicken or meat. Bring two separate cutting boards —