The Food Standards Agency Warns Picnicking Families to follow Food Safety Rules

If you are heading out in the sun with your picnic, make sure you are preparing your food safely and storing it carefully.

There are more than one million cases of food poisoning every year in the UK caused by Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.

To help everyone enjoy their summer picnics without worry the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has provided these easy tips to keep your family safe:

Clean up first – Rinse fresh fruits (including those with rinds) and vegetables under running tap water before packing them in the cool box.

Keep cold food cold – place cold food in a cool box with ice or frozen gel packs. Cold food should be stored at 5 °C or below to prevent bacterial growth.

Organise your cool box – pack drinks in one cool box and perishable foods in another. If using freezer packs (frozen drinks work well for this purpose), distribute them throughout the box – not all at the bottom!

Keep your cool box closed – once at the picnic site, limit the number of times the cool box is opened as much as you can. This helps to keep the contents cold for longer.

Pack away your picnic – once you’ve served it, dishes should not sit out for longer than two hours, or one hour if it’s very hot outside. After this, the risk of bacteria increases and it becomes unsafe to eat, so best to throw it away when you get home.

Pack away food so that your guests are not tempted to nibble later.

To waste less, pre-plan portion sizes according to the size of your party and only pack what you need.

Chair of the FSA Board, Heather Hancock said: “When you’re at a picnic this summer, remember that keeping food cool is an important defence against people getting food poisoning. Generally, the cooler the temperature the slower germs will grow. That’s why paying attention to how food is stored and transported is especially important in the warm summer months.”

For more information about food safety during the summer months, visit: www.food.gov.uk/safe-summer-food and www.food.gov.uk/picnics