As the summer season winds down and the temperatures migrate towards fall, there will continue to be outdoor gatherings where food is served.

Iowa State University Extension Educator Tom Kienert reminds everyone to be aware of not having food staying outside and uncovered for very long, especially perishable food. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio bacteria likes to grow on food when it is warm or warm-ish and to avoid what is considered the “danger zone” for food between 40 and 140 degrees.

“Let’s say, it’s 100 degrees outside and there’s a bunch of meats and potato salad sitting out in that nice, warm temperature, you’re giving that bacteria exactly what it wants. You’re giving it that really nice warm temperature zone that’s going to give it an opportunity to multiply.”  

Kienert notes that half of all food borne illnesses come from vegetables.

“So, leafy greens, cut melons and cut tomatoes are ones that actually bacteria loves to grow on. If you think about, you know, they’re growing on a farm, a lot of times manure is part of the compost. And so, things like leafy greens, tomatoes and melons, we really want to make sure we’re controlling the temperatures on those.”    

Kienert points out that perishable food should not be out of the refrigerator longer than two hours before bacteria can start to grow. He recommends that everyone gets what they want to eat, then cover the food up to protect against flies and other insects, and then if possible, put the perishable food back into the refrigerator.