Humans aren’t the only ones who love warm weather. Bacteria are huge fans of the heat, and picnics can become the perfect place for them to breed, and quickly. Yet, like knights in shining armor–armed with sunscreen, bugspray, and hand sanitizer, there are ways to battle foodborne bacteria and illness at picnics. So grab your hats, and coolers, and prepare with these tips for food safety.

• • Keep cold food cold. At around 40 degrees F. or less. Keep hot food hot, at around 140 degrees F. or higher. 
  • If you’re preparing to grill, keep your drinks in one cooler, and perishables in another, to prevent the perishables being exposed to warm air by people opening and closing the cooler to grab drinks.
  • Like in a power outage, do your best to keep your coolers closed, and minimize how often they get open.
  • ALWAYS keep your raw meat–if you’re grilling–and other foods separate. Raw meat contains loads of bacteria. 
  • ALWAYS wash your hands after handling raw meat. Make sure to keep cooked food off of utensils and other items that have touched raw meat.
  • Your hands are not the only things you should wash, wash fruits and vegetables well.
  • Avoid using a grill brush if possible. The bristles can end up in the food that people eat, and sometimes inside people too. Check your food for anything out of the ordinary.
  • If cold or hot food has been outside of coolers for longer than two hours, or one hour if it is really hot, it’s safest to throw it away. 
  • Wash hands often! Especially after handling raw meat or going to the bathroom, bring hand sanitizer with you to clean your hands as you go.
  • And most importantly, remember to have fun. Your physical health is connected to your mental health. Use these tips to prevent bacteria and to protect your inner peace.