Summer is about to be in full swing, which means lots of time barbecuing at the beach. But don't forget the importance of food safety when considering what to pack for your day by the ocean. Hot summer temperatures and sunshine can easily spoil certain beach foods, making them a to eat.
“The last thing you want is for people to go home and remember the beach trip because they got sick,” Dr. John Torres, NBC News senior medical correspondent, said on . Leaving food unrefrigerated for a prolonged period can cause certain bacteria, like E.
coli and and salmonella, to grow and make those consuming the food sick with diarrhea and vomiting. Between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit is known as the food "danger zone" for this reason, . Even if you use a cooler, you may not be able to completely prevent the temperature of your food from reaching above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
That's why Torres recommends leaving certain items at home and choosing safer beach foods instead. If you're packing sandwiches made with deli meats or cold cuts — such as sliced turkey, ham, chicken, roast beef, salami, bacon or bologna — these need to be refrigerated until they are ready to eat, says Torres. Although deli meats are often cured and processed to help prevent spoilage and contamination, they can still contain bacteria that can make you sick and multiple rapidly in warm temperatures, .
Keeping them in a cooler can make this food choice less risky, but once you take them out of the refrigerated e.
