Picnic: Virologist shares tips to avoid food poisoning this summer

Summer is the best time to have great picnics with friends or family. There’s nothing better than sitting in a park in the sun to enjoy your meal. The problem? With the sun beating down and temperatures around 30 degrees, it’s important to be vigilant about food preservation: there are certain things to do to avoid getting sick afterwards.

On Instagram, virologist Océane Sorel has just shared some tips to apply during your next picnic. Here are his health tips.

Whether it’s for a picnic or to properly prepare your lunch box for the office, there is one golden rule that must be followed in the kitchen: washing your hands. Indeed, in order to limit the proliferation of bacteria, this is the first reflex to always have. So before preparing your picnic, don’t neglect this step.

The best way to keep your food cool during transport is to put it in a cooler with ice packs. This will maintain a good temperature and a climate cool enough so that bacteria do not multiply. As you will have understood, it is better to favor a cooler rather than a tote bag. You will be able to carry your drinks or your packets of chips in your fabric bags without any problem.

In order to avoid poisoning, you have to choose the products you bring for the picnic carefully. According to the specialist, the best thing is to turn to foods that “fear the least” such as fruits, vegetables, bread or even dry foods. “We might want to avoid sushi in the sun.”observe the expert.

If you have leftovers and want to keep them, so that they do not pose a health risk, it is important not to leave them lying around on the picnic table for too long. The best thing is to quickly put them back in the fridge so that you can eat them later without any problems.