Hotter temperatures might mean you need to rethink your food prep strategy

(Source: Liudmila Chernetska/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Are you making sure that your family barbeque doesn’t turn into a bummer?

With warmer temperatures and lots of outdoor celebrations being prompted by the beautiful weather, it’s important to make sure that you’re keeping your food safe to prevent your family barbeque from turning into a desperate trip to the pharmacy.

“It’s not uncommon to see an increase in food-borne illness cases, such as campylobacter and salmonella, over the summer months,” saif Public Health Inspector Chris Boyes, with Huron Perth Public Health. “With more outdoor gatherings and activities at this time of year, food will often sit out in warm temperatures for several hours. This creates an ideal environment for harmful bacteria to multiply and increases the risk of people getting sick.”

As a general rule, here are a couple of things you should keep in mind to make sure that your family gatherings go off without a hitch.

While obviously you want to ensure that your hands and the food you’re preparing is clean, and cooked thoroughly, it’s also important to keep in mind that warmer temperatures outside might not be conducive to storing food outside of a refrigerator for long periods. Make sure that you pack perishable foods in cool places, and don’t defrost foods at room temperature.

Foods that are left sitting out for more than an hour or two on hot summer days are not safe to eat, and should be thrown away.

Stay healthy, and make sure that you’re barbequing safe this summer!