Cooking Your Food Safely This Summer

Saturday, 29 June 2019 06:58

Summer is here and while you're enjoying your family gathering, the Perth District Health Unit has some tips on how to grill your food safely.

PERTH COUNTY - The summer is back and the Perth District Health Unit would like to remind people to not only grill safe, but eat healthy.

Public Health Inspector Michelle Sergio explains how you can keep your food sanitized.

"When we're outside cooking, sometimes hand washing can be forgotten since people don't have hand washing sinks near them, or available. so that's kind of a risk. So we just got to remind everybody to wash their hands before and after cooking and keeping meats separate from raw and meats that are already cooked, just having a clean plate for the raw products and a clean plate for the cooked products and ensuring there's no cross-contamination with utensils."

Sergio adds it is also helpful to put the products in coolers or on ice packs and removing them within two hours so they're not left out under the sun.

She says there are specific temperatures for grilling certain foods safely.

"Having a thermometer by their side and ensuring it just gets to the right temperature. A hamburger sits at 71 degrees and poultry to 74 degrees, and a whole poultry to 82 degrees. So just making sure it reaches the required internal temperature and making sure it's not out for more than two hours under the sun."

In a recent press release, Perth District Health Unit says Canada's New Food Guide recommends to enjoy a variety of meats, vegetables. They say grilling vegetables and plant-based protein foods is a healthy way to enjoy the summer months.

Other healthy foods they suggest are grilled corn-on-the-cob, peppers and onions, asparagus, grilled peaches or pineapple for dessert.

To learn more about healthy eating, you can visit their page here. And to learn more on food safety, more information is available here.