Make the grocery store your last stop on hot summer days

July 23, 2007
Carol Ann Burtness
Regional Extension Educator, Food Science
888-241-0720
Email: burtn002@umn.edu

The grocery store should be your last stop on your list when you're running errands this summer.

The temperature inside your parked car can easily exceed 140 degrees within a few minutes when you run summer errands. In this warm environment, bacteria multiply rapidly in food and there is a greater chance a food-borne illness will occur.

Follow some simple tips for summer grocery-shopping to reduce food-borne illness risks:

• Shop for groceries early in the morning or in the late evening when it's cooler.


• Organize your list and shop in the following way: pick up dry foods first, then produce, then refrigerated and frozen items last.


• While shopping, prevent cross-contamination by putting packages of raw meat, poultry, and seafood in separate plastic bags. Place these foods in your cart so juices do not drip on other foods.


• Buy foods labeled "Keep Refrigerated" only if they are stored in a refrigerated case. Look for a thermometer or ask an employee to show you the thermometer, which should read 41 degrees or below so bacteria won't multiply too quickly.


• Buy frozen foods only if they are frozen to the touch.


• Buy cut melons only if they are stored in a refrigerated case or on ice. Bacteria grow rapidly on the warm, moist environment of cut melons stored at room temperature.


• Bag frozen and cold foods into double paper bags to help keep them cold.


• If your home is more than 30 minutes from the store, carry your cold foods in a clean, insulated container or cooler. Fill the cooler with ice or ice packs to maintain cold temperatures longer. Carry foods in the air-conditioned part of your vehicle, not in the trunk.


• When you purchase hot food from the grocery store deli, get the food home quickly. Or, eat it as soon as possible or within one hour if it's a warm day (90 degrees or warmer).


• When you get home, wash your hands before storing your food. That's especially important if you filled the car with gas on the way to or from food shopping.


• Unpack groceries as soon as you arrive home. If you don't refrigerate perishable food within one to two hours after leaving the store, harmful bacteria will multiply.

(Carol Ann Burtness is a food science educator with the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Center, Brainerd)