Summer wellbeing

Picnics and barbeques are a great way to spend time with friends and family when the weather is warm and sunny.

Eating and cooking outside can be risky though. The most common causes of food poisoning are:

• undercooked foods
• not storing foods at the right temperature
• not reheating cooked food enough
• leaving food in warm temperatures for too long
• handling food with unwashed or dirty hands

It is very important to remember these things when you're planning a picnic or barbeque to make sure no one gets ill.

Use the following advice to help you prepare a safe and scrumptious outdoor feast:

• Keep cold food in a fridge or cool box until it's time to serve.
• Keep chilled food out of the fridge for as short a time as possible when you're preparing dishes.
• Store raw meat separately from ready to eat food.
• Make sure meat is cooked all the way through and piping hot before eating it.
• Do not leave food outside for more than one to two hours in warm weather.
• Keep food covered when it's outside as much as you can.
• Wash your hands before touching food. When you're out and about use wet wipes and hand sanitizer if there's nowhere to wash your hands.