Local Lakes Enhance
Warren Picnic Areas
The picnic session is In full
swing In this are* and this
trend Is greatly extended in
Warren County by tne
proximity of Kerr and
Gaston Lakes.
Stating that picnic foods
are more hazardous than
others, Miss Emily .Ballinger,
Extension Home Economist
Agent for Warren
County, said this week that
special care should be used
to see that picnic foods are
safe, and quoted from a
release from the State
Agricultural Extension Service
to explain why picnic
foods are hazardous and
what steps should be taken
to make them safe. The
article follows:
Why are picnic foods more
hazardous than others?
1) Food items that are
often taken on picnics are
ones that receive a lot of
handling during preparation;
for example, potato
and macaroni salads, hamburger
patties, meat, fish
and egg sandwiches. This
means a greater chance of
contamination from people,
utensils and preparation
surfaces.
2) All this handling also
means food'is kept longer at
room temperature where
bacteria grow well.
3) Picnic foods often
Involve pre-cooking; fried
chicken, chicken foe. salad
and sandwiches, hard cooked
eggs, potatoes and
macaroni for salads. If they
aren't cooled quickly, any
bacteria that are present,
due to handling or insufficient
cooking, would grow
rapidly.
4) Mayonnaise is too acid
to be a good medium for
bacterial growth. But, if
mayonnaise is mixed with
another food that contains
bacteria, the mayonnaise
will provide extra moisture
and food to help bacteria
grow if the temperature is
right. This is why mayonnaise
containing foods are
often associated with food
poisoning.
5) Often, large quantities
of food are prepared, which
makes quick cooling and
storage at proper temperatures
more difficult.
6) Warm outdoor temperatures
are perfect for
bacterial growth. It takes
special equipment and effort
to keep cold foods cold
and hot foods hot on picnics.
Which bacteria are the
causes of food poisoning?
1) Salmonellae bacteria
are widespread and grow in
the digestive tract of
humans and animals; poultry,
red meat, eggs, and raw
milk and raw milk products
can cause salmonellosis.
The bacteria are destroyed
by heating to 165 degrees F.,
but will remain alive at
refrigeration temperatures.
2) Staphlococcal poisoning
is caused by a toxin
produced when the bacteria
grow. This bacteria grows
especially well when protein
and sugar are added to
foods. Custards, salads
(potato, macaroni, egg,
meat, fish, etc.), ham and
salami (all picnic foods)
have good potential for
staph poisoning. The toxin is
very heat resistant, so staph
bacteria must be prevented
from growing in a food by
keeping it hot (above 140
degrees F.) or cold (less
than 40 degrees F.). If a food
has been left at room
temperature for several
hours, staph can grow and
produce toxin, so the food
will noi-be -safe eiten if it ii
cooked before eating.
9) Perfrigens poisoning is
transmitted by eating large
numbers of bacteria present
in cooked meat, gravies,
soups or meat casseroles
that have been improperly
stored. It can be prevented
by storing leftovers or
meats to be eaten cold below
40 degrees F. or heating
them above 140 degrees F.
How can picnic food be
kept safe?
1) As in preparing other
types of foods, cleanliness
and personal hygiene are
essential to keeping bacteria
out of food.
2) It Is Important to
prevent cross contamination
of foods. Foods to be
eaten could become contaminated
by contact with raw
meat, poultry, dirty vegetables
or items (knife, cutting
board) that had touched
these things. The food would
become uns«fe if held at
bacterial growth temperatures.
3) Foods prepared ahead
of time should be quickly
cooled and stored at
temperatures that will prevent
bacterial growth (less
than 40 degrees F.t warmer
than 140 degrees F.).
4) Large quantities of food
are difficult to cool. Food in
shallow containers cools
quickly. Food in a large
container may take so long
to cool in the center that
bacteria would have time to
grow.
5) Plan the picnic menu
around the equipment available
to keep food cold or hot.
Never allow mayonnaise
mixtures, meats, poultry,
eggs, dairy products or
foods containing (i.e., sandwiches)
these ingredients to
sit without refrigeration for
more than 2-3 hours (this
includes time used in
preparation). Pre-cooked
food (i.e. fried chicken)
should also be kept cold, it
may have become contaminated
with bacteria after
cooking. Hot foods should be
thoroughly cooled before
putting them in a picnic ice
chest.
6) You can freeze your
own blocks of ice in milk
cartons, plastic containers,
etc., for use in your ice
chest. Commerical refrigerants
in cans or plastic packs
are convenient, less messy
than ice, and can be reused.
Frozen foods to be eaten on
the picnic will help keep the
chest cold (i.e. cans of
frozen juice), but they
should not be refrozen.
Crumpled newspaper stuffed
into air spaces in an ice
chest will give extra insulation.
7) If you can't take food
refrigerator cold or oven
hot, plan the menu to
contain foods that don't need
refrigeration; canned or
preserved foods, fresh fruits
and vegetables, aged
cheeses, crackers, etc.
8) Keep insects out of the
food. Any leftovers should
be put back in the cooler
right after they are served.
If the^art? stilt cold when
you get home they can be
refrigerated and eaten. If
they are warm it's best to
throw them out.
Popular Yogurt
Is Not Always
Dieter's Friend
By JULIE BENDER
N. C. State University
Despite its popularity with
dieters, yogurt is not always
a low-calorie food.
Varieties which are sweetened
and flavored may have
twice as many calories as
the plain, partially skim
milk varieties, say agricultural
extension specialists
at North Carolina State
University.
Plain yogurt made from
partially skimmed milk has
113 calories per eight ounce
container while plain yogurt
made from whole milk has
140.
Sweetened fruit yogurts
have about 250 calories per
eight ounces which is only
slightly less than a cup of ice
cream at 290 calories.
Conserving Water
Added together, every
little bit of water you can
conserve does count.
NCSU agricultural extension
specialists—estimate
that one leaky faucet can
waste up to 2,200 gallons of
water in a year—enough to
quench your thirst with
35,200 eight ounce glasses of
water.
Clean Seat Belts
If you are not using your
car's dirty seat belts in
order to avoid soiling your
clothes, why not give them a
good cleaning now and
possibly save your life
later?
Seat belts are made of a
sturdy webbing which can
be scrubbed with a stiff
brush dipped in detergent or
soap suds to remove the embedded
dirt.
Rinse with clean water
and absorb the excesa
moisture with a towel, say
agricultural extension specialists
at N. C. State. Then
lay the belts across towela to
air dry completely.