Food Safety for Outdoor Enthusiasts

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food art Food Safety Facts

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Bulletin #4279

Have you ever felt that you wanted “to get away from it all”? Sure you have. We all get that feeling from time to time. Exploring the great outdoors is a favorite American pastime. For some people, “getting away from it all” may mean just visiting a park for some weekend camping. To others, it may mean putting on a backpack and hiking off into the wilderness for beautiful scenery, the clean air, and peace and quiet. No matter how you look at it, the chances are that you will take food along, and when you do, you need to keep food safety in mind.

Food-poisoning bacteria grow rapidly at warm temperatures. Many of our favorite foods are perishable and need refrigeration. Even a day hiking in the wilderness with perishable foods stored improperly could result in food-borne illness. Raw meat, poultry, fish, most dairy products, eggs (even hard-cooked eggs) and prepared foods should be stored cold (that is, at 40^oF or colder), and should not be left unrefrigerated for more than two hours.

Plan Ahead

Think about portion sizes as you plan your menu to avoid leftovers. Check first to see if campfires are allowed or if you have to bring a stove. Many camping areas, particularly national parks, prohibit campfires, so assume you’ll have to take a stove. When cooking foods, be sure to cook them thoroughly. Especially cook meat, poultry and fish well to kill food-poisoning bacteria.

Backpackers who carry their meals with them should plan their menus with food safety in mind, in addition to the weight of the food, preparation and trash disposal. When planning a menu for a hiking trip, many backpackers choose foods that do not require refrigeration. Canned meat, poultry and fish, although heavy, are good choices.

In addition to canned foods, there are many foods that do not require refrigeration: peanut butter and jelly, hard cheeses, dried meats, fruits, nuts, dried noodles and soups, breads, crackers, powdered milk, and fruit drinks. Concentrated juice boxes are also handy but heavy. Check with an outdoor supply store for foods packaged especially for backpacking.

If you pack carefully, it is possible to use fresh foods for meals the first day. Many campers drive to their campsites with coolers, and have access to grills.

Foods can be prepared in advance, refrigerated or frozen, and packed with a cold source. Freeze water in a plastic jug and wrap it with the frozen foods in a plastic bag; then stuff the bag inside a sleeping bag in your backpack. This way the food will be kept cold while you hike.

If you are camping or backpacking with an infant, carry premeasured packets of powdered infant formula as well as bottled water and prepare one bottle at a time. If you carry prepared bottles, keep them cold. If you use bottled water, it is not necessary to boil it before mixing with formula. As for baby food, bring the smallest sized jars. Dispose of any leftover baby food or formula after feeding.

Tips to Make Your Cooler Work Well:

A block of ice keeps longer than ice cubes. Use clean, empty milk cartons to freeze blocks of ice, or use frozen gel-packs.
Fill the cooler with cold or frozen foods.
Pack foods in reverse-use order. First food packed is last to be used.
Take foods in the smallest size needed (e.g., a small jar of mayonnaise).
In the car, put the ice chest in the passenger section. At the campsite, insulate the cooler with a blanket, tarp or poncho.

Safe Water

Water is always an important consideration on a hiking trip. You’ll need it to drink, make food and wash up. Unless you know for sure, assume that stream and river waters are not safe to drink; they may contain bacteria that could cause illness if the water is not purified before drinking. Purchase purification tablets or equipment from camping supply stores, and learn purification techniques. You may wish to bring along some bottled water.

If no safe water supply is available, or your bottled water supply is limited, use disposable wipes to clean your hands when working with food. Do not forget to dispose of them properly.

Take as few pots as possible. Carry items that fit inside each other. Plan one-pot meals. You can use aluminum foil wrap and pans for cooking, but take garbage bags to carry these items back to appropriate disposal sites.

Discarded leftover food should be burned, not dumped. If you use soap to clean pots, wash the pots at camp, not at the water’s edge. Dump dirty water on dry ground, well away from fresh water.

Cooler Know-How

Choosing the right cooler is an important part of your trip planning. Foam chests are lightweight, low cost and actually have good “cold retention” power. But they are fragile and may not last through many outings. Plastic, fiberglass or steel coolers, on the other hand, are more durable and can take a lot of outdoor wear. They have excellent “cold retention” power, but once filled, may weigh 30 or 40 pounds.

Resources

To learn more, check your local library, recreation department or state agencies for advice on choosing a campsite, protecting your food from animals, and disposing of garbage. Or contact the American Camping Association (5000 State Rd. 67 N, Martinsville, IN 46151) the National Campers and Hikers Association (4804 Transit Rd. Building 2, Depew, NY 14043); or the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-800-535-4555.

By Mahmoud El-Begearmi, Extension professor, nutrition and food safety

Reference: Brewer, Susan. Hamburger Safety Tips (Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, 1995).

For more information about food safety, contact your University of Maine Cooperative Extension county office.

Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.

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