Summertime Food Safety

To avoid food-borne illnesses at picnics and cook-outs, make sure to keep cold foods at or below 40. Pack them with ice or reusable gel packs and make sure chilled dishes are very cold beforehand. Transport cold foods inside the car, not the trunk. Hot foods should be kept at or above 140 in insulated containers.
Nearly half of food poisoning cases reported are due to foods left too long at room temperature. If lunch meats and salads have been without refrigeration for more than an hour, throw them out. In the cooler, bacteria will stop multiplying, but they may have already done so enough to make you sick. Once home, dispose of foods that are no longer cold.
Poultry, meat, fish and eggs should be thoroughly cooked and chilled before mixing with other salad ingredients.
Always work with freshly-washed hands, clean surfaces and clean utensils. To avoid cross-contamination, never cut up vegetables on a board just used for raw meat, fish or poultry. Thoroughly clean the board first or use separate boards so washing up can be done after all preparations are completed.