camping trips or for a day on the water. If we are planning to take food, particularly perishable foods, we must plan ahead. The last thing you want is a food-related illness. Here are some tips to help ensure that the worst problems you may encounter is sand in your car, a mild sunburn or a tale of the one that got away.

Plan ahead, keep your menu simple and take only the amount of food that you will use. Take foods that do not require refrigeration such as fruits and vegetables, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, hard cheese, dry foods, etc. If you want to take perishable foods such as cooked meats, fried chicken, potato salad etc., put them in a cooler packed with ice or a frozen ice pack. Keep cold foods cold. Blocks of ice keep longer than ice cubes. Use clean empty cartons to pre-freeze blocks of ice.

Before you start any preparation make sure that you wash your hands correctly in hot water and a bactericidal soap, clean and sanitise the preparation surface and use clean utensils, keep fingers out of the food.

Ensure that the foods that you prepare are made under hygienic conditions and stored quickly in the refrigerator. Sandwiches should be made and quickly stored in the refrigerator.

Hot dishes should be cooked to the appropriate temperatures and rapidly cooled and refrigerated.

Just prior to departing, pack perishables directly from the refrigerator.

Store all perishables in one cooler and keep the beverages and water in a separate cooler.

Pack foods in reverse use order -- first foods packed are last to be used.

Store foods in water tight containers to prevent contact with melting ice water.

If you plan to cook any foods on a grill ensure that these foods are cooked well through particularly hamburgers and chicken. These raw foods must be stored in a separate cooler.

Ensure that your water is safe, either bring bottled water for drinking or for mixing with foods.

At your destination, store the coolers under an umbrella and out of the sun.

Wash your hands before handling any foods, use bottled water or moist towelettes.

Take out only the foods that you require and do not let food sit out in the hot sun. Perishable foods left out in the hot sun for over an hour are not safe and should be discarded. Food poisoning bacteria grow rapidly at warm temperatures and high risk foods should be kept out of the danger zone which is between 40F and 140F.

Leftovers if kept cold can be used but if the cold source has melted and the food is warm, better to discard. Non-perishables like fruits and vegetables etc. do not require refrigeration and should be okay.

Remember keep hot foods hot (above 140F) and cold foods cold (below 45F) and if you have any doubt throw it out.

If you have any questions regarding food safety, call myself or one of the Environmental Health Officers at the Department of Health.

-- Roger Mello.

Senior Environmental Health Officer.

HEALTH HTH