Tips To Avoid Child Food Poisoning In Summer

Just as excesses should be avoided, bad combinations should also be avoided in each dish, even if it is a simple snack. 

During the summer time, the number of cases of food poisoning in children increases due to variations in diet, which are not always the healthiest. Sometimes we do not realize that picnics, garden games, barbecues and other related activities can affect the gastrointestinal health of the little ones if we do not teach them to measure themselves.

Children do not yet know what are the best combinations to make at each meal and, of course, they do not know why there are some that are especially harmful to their body. They also do not take into account which foods should be avoided and which ones should be taken in moderation, so parental guidance will be essential.

Large meals, bad combinations and lack of hygiene are the main factors that influence the appearance of food poisoning.

When handling food, it is always necessary to be scrupulous, although during the summer holidays it is true that high temperatures can make it easier for microorganisms to contaminate food.

Tips on a barbecue

On barbecues, there may be an increased risk of food poisoning from keeping food out of the refrigerator or from poor cooking.

To avoid that a good barbecue day ends up being a trip to the doctor, it is necessary to take into account the following tips:

• Separate raw meat from vegetables to avoid cross contamination.
• Cut the food on different cutting boards and serve with tongs.

• Be careful with sauces or marinades, make sure they are in good condition.
• Never serve poorly cooked hamburgers.
• Thaw the meat long enough before cooking, since the parts that are frozen bacteria are more likely to survive.
• Do not defrost food directly at room temperature. From the freezer they must go to the fridge and from there to the environment.
• When you grill, make sure the meat is well done. Before serving, cut it up and observe the color inside. If it is well done, there will be no traces of pink or blood.
• Do not place cooked meat on the same plate used for raw meat unless you have washed the plate thoroughly beforehand.
• Don’t leave sauces or condiments in the sun. Keep them in the fridge until it’s time to serve.

• Do not leave the food at room temperature for more than two hours.

On car trips

When you go on vacation, it is likely that food poisoning can occur in the vehicle itself due to not having taken sufficient measures to take care of food. If you plan to make a long trip with children, the ideal is that you also have planned how to feed yourself during the long hours that the journey can take:

• When you prepare lunches, you must ensure that they are kept at a good temperature, they should never be out of the fridge for more than two hours.
• If you’re cooking before you go on a trip, don’t put your food in the fridge before it has cooled down to room temperature.
• Use airtight containers to keep food in better condition.
• Use plastic ice cubes to make sure your fridge is cold all the time. The refrigerator should be below 40º as bacteria proliferate rapidly at temperatures between 40º and 140º.

• Keep drinks in a fridge separate from food so the ice in the food fridge won’t melt easily from opening and closing the fridge frequently.
• In case you have doubts about the state of some food, it is better that you discard it.
• Consider having a cooler in your car to keep food that needs cold at a suitable temperature for preservation.
• Put the refrigerator inside the car and not in the trunk, so it can be with the air conditioning (instead of not in direct sunlight).

At a camp or picnic

At a camp or picnic, food may also be neglected and may no longer be suitable for eating. To avoid consuming them and suffering from food poisoning, it is important to comply with the following:

• Prepare the ingredients in advance, place them in airtight bags or containers, and transport them in coolers, if possible. Chop the fruits and vegetables to avoid having to do this on the street in any way, prepare the empanadas or sandwiches at home and pack them appropriately.
• Regardless of whether you bring a cooler or not, you should avoid placing food directly in the sun. Make sure they are always in the shade.
• Anything that contains dairy or eggs should be discarded if it has been in the sun for more than 2 hours.
• Always carry antibacterial gel with you to be able to clean everyone’s hands before eating food.

In summary, to avoid food poisoning in the summer it is best to organize what you are going to eat before leaving the house, prepare it carefully and, above all, pack it properly so that you have less to worry about. Of course, without ever neglecting where we put the food.