Food Safety Outdoor Education

Hiking, camping and boating are good activities for active people and families. However, if food is not handled correctly, foodborne illness can be an unpleasant memory. 1. Choose foods that are light enough to carry in a backpack and can be transported safely. Keep foods hot or cold. Since it is difficult to keep foods hot without a heat source, it is best to transport chilled foods. Refrigerate or freeze food at night. What foods to bring? For a day trip, most of what they will always fit in your backpack and keep it cold – sandwiches, fried chicken, bread and cheese, and even salads – or choose non-perishable food.

2. Keep it clean. Remember to bring disposable wipes if you are taking a day trip. (Water is too heavy to bring enough for cleaning dishes!) 3. Not a good idea to rely on fresh water from a lake or river to drink, no matter how clean it looks. Some pathogens thrive in remote mountain lakes or streams and there is no way of knowing what might have fallen into the water upstream. Bring bottled water or tap water to drink. Always start with a bottle filled with water and replenish the supply of public systems to the test when possible.

On long trips you can find water in streams, lakes and springs, but be sure to purify the water in nature, no matter how clean it looks. 4. If you are backpacking for more than a day, the food situation is a bit more complicated.

Posted on