Summer Cooler Safety Tips

Summer Cooler Safety Tips.

By J. E. Davidson

One of the joys of summer is packing a cooler full of yummy foods and beverages and taking off for our favorite picnic or camping spot.

Keeping food, especially meats, fresh and cold in a cooler reduces the risk of harmful bacteria growing in the food and coming back from your delightful outing with a case of food poisoning.

Careful planning and packing beforehand is necessary to avoid contaminating food or allowing it to spoil before it’s eaten.


1. Do Kitchen Preparation Before Your Outing

Washing and cutting meats, fruits, and vegetables before packing them in the cooler can save time and trouble at the picnic or camp site. For instance, if you plan to roast kebabs, cut the necessary foods into chunks ahead of time.

Soups and chili can be made at home, chilled or frozen, then packed in the cooler. This will lessen the risk of cross-contaminating food when you prepare it at the picnic or camp site, and give you more time to relax and enjoy the outdoors!

2. Pack Food In Airtight Containers

Packing meat and produce in separate containers, and not in the store wrappings, will help avoid cross-contamination in the cooler. Use heavy duty freezer bags or plastic food storage containers with secure lids.

3. Freeze Meats For Extended Outings

If you are planning an extended camping trip, freeze the meat before putting it in the cooler. This way the meat will stay cold longer and you reduce the risk of spoilage. Allow food to thaw slowly in the cooler, never at room temperature.

4. Prechill Food and Beverages

All foods and beverages should be prechilled before packing the cooler. Coolers are designed to keep food cold, not necessarily to chill it from room temperature. Prechilled food will make your ice last longer and reduce the risk of spoilage.

5. Use Separate Coolers For Foods and Beverages

Each time the cooler lid is opened, warm air rushes in and cold air rushes out. Providing a separate cooler for beverages will keep your meat and produce colder.



Family Size Insulate Rolling Cooler for Picnic and Camping
6. Ice On Top

Cold travels downward, so place ice or ice packs on top of the food. You may want to wrap flexible gel ice packs around meat for extra protection.

7. Fill Empty Spaces

Pack your coolers as full as possible. If there are empty spaces, fill them with frozen bottles of water or cans of fruit juice concentrate. As the water thaws, you’ll have fresh water to drink, or you can reconstitute the juice.

8. Use the Right Kind of Ice

Ice cubes or chunks can be hard on soft-sided coolers. The sharp edges can cut the lining, and the weight of the contents may pull the cooler out of shape. Choose ice packs instead. Don’t use soft-side coolers on an extended trip, since you will need to replenish the ice and will probably have no way to refreeze gel packs.

9. Keep Your Cooler Cool

Avoid keeping your cooler in a hot car or the bright sun, which will diminish its ability to keep your food safe. Find a shady spot for it while you are picnicking or camping.

10. Don’t Save Unsafe Food

Don’t repack food in the cooler if it has been at temperatures above 40 degrees F for more than an hour. Coolers aren’t designed to rechill food quickly enough to keep it safe to eat.