KENT COUNTY, Mich — The 4th of July brings fireworks and fun with family and friends, but if you're not careful, it can also mean food poisoning.
Dr. Lauren Snyder, a Family Practice Physician at Corewell Health, offers some advice to help you avoid getting sick from your celebrations.
"Food cannot be out in the sun all day and then eaten at night. You've got to keep your food in the cooler," she explained. "You've got to keep your food and your drinks in separate coolers, because the drinks you're going to want to be hydrating all day, and you want to keep your cooler that has the drinks in it separate, so you can open it a lot."
Something small can make a big difference for the BBQ: a food thermometer.
"You also want to not just be cooking food until it looks done. You don't want to be looking at the meat and think, you know, this hamburger looks like it's mostly done. You want to use a food thermometer," Dr. Snyder cautioned.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, meats should be cooked to the following temperatures:
Beef and Pork: 145 degrees Fahrenheit
Chicken: 165 degrees Fahrenheit
Ground Meats: 160 degrees Fahrenheit
Fish and Shellfish: 145 degrees Fahrenheit
Undercooked beef or chicken could put you at risk of E. Coli or Salmonella.
It's not just the main course.
Keep an eye on side dishes, too.
"The potato salads, the coleslaw, anything that has mayonnaise in it is a huge cause of food poisoning," Dr. Snyder said. "It's really important to keep that out of the sun and only keep that out on the table when it's time to serve it."
Sicknesses like norovirus are also a concern.
"Anything can spread when you are touching things that other folks are touching. So you want to make sure that you have hand sanitizer out that people can be using."
Handwashing is best if you can.
If you're the chef or grill master, don't forget to wash your hands before and after you prepare meat.
Dr. Snyder also advises, "Use different cooking utensils when you're cooking raw meat, and make sure that you wipe down your surfaces and you're not using the same surfaces to prepare meat and vegetables."
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