A recent discussion with a friend prompted a bit of investigation and this blog post. We were talking about food safety and picnicking, when I said that fruits and vegetables could not be left out all the day. Most of us are aware of why we don’t leave meat and salads out, but expect that uncooked things are immune to bacteria. This is not so, and we really knew that, i.e. the lettuce and spinach contaminations of the last few years. My friend and I weren’t exactly sure why it was wrong and we pondered the habits of our older relatives who often left food out on the counter for days with seemingly no adverse outcomes.
It is likely that the behavior of bacteria and the environments for which it can spread have changed. All we can really say now is that it isn’t going to hurt to follow the safety recommendations and could very well help. The symptoms of food poisoning can be mild diarrhea to severe cramping, vomiting, fever and even death in some sensitive populations.
With regard to our question, it is uncut food that can be uncooled for days, but cut fruit is as perishable as other picnic dishes. (by the way, it is good to rinse the fruit to get any germs off the rind or peel before you cut into it, as not doing so may contaminate the inside) From the CDC, USDA, FDA and other food safety sites, we learn that the temperature that is most conducive for bacteria growth is anywhere between 40 and 140 degrees. It is recommended that cut fruit not be out on the table for more than two hours, that NO food is on the table for more than two hours and that when it is over 90* outside, then the limit should be one hour. [by the way, freezing will stop or slow growth but does NOT destroy bacteria]
At our gatherings, the heat and the people are the main instigators. Be careful how you set your food out so that a person can get the serving they want without touching the rest of the food. Certainly have hand sanitizer available and don’t be afraid to point it OUT. A hurt feeling beats the hell out of a hurt gut.
On an interesting additional note, if the serving utensils were out for the two hour limit you need fresh ones or to clean them before reuse as bacteria can thrive there as well.
Basic picnic rules apply. Keep colds cold until serving and hots hot. Do not store these together. Do not pack raw meat in the same container as cooked meat. Do not keep produce and meat together. Items that do not require heating or cooling should not take up space in the containers of things that do.
Most often the best information on food safety comes from our agricultural extension centers or university departments. This is true here. This website and the table you will find there may be of use to you.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/poison.html
2 comments:
it's not that our older relatives suffered no ill effects, it's that they didn't see 'a 24-stomach flu' as being related to unclean food. It was just one of those things. Or, if they did connect their illness to food, they blamed it on restaurant food, or packaged food, or the cookie and tea they had at their sister-in-law's house. Because they knew their own kitchen was clean! (I remember my Grandmamma clearing the dirty dishes, but leaving the serving dishes on the table after Sunda dinner. She'd put a tablecloth over it all to keep the flies off, but otherwise leave it, hours later, people could nibble at the leftovers for a light supper. And this was in Florida!)
Remember you should not only wash the peel if you intend to eat it (apple) but also the peel you don't intend to eat(melon) because the knife will carry bacteria from the outside you aren't eating to the inside which you are.
good points Nil... thanks!
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