How to Safely Pack a Picnic

Taking your family on a picnic in the park is a great way to get some fresh air and enjoy each others' company. However, placing your meal in old-fashioned baskets may not cut it. When packaging items to eat outdoors, it is important to keep food safety in mind. Improperly packing or failing to chill perishable items can result in spoiled items and food poisoning.

Things You'll Need

• 2 hard-sided coolers
• 2 bags of ice
• Empty plastic cup
• Garbage bag
• Plastic wrap
• Aluminum foil
• Gallon-sized zip-top freezer bags
• Permanent marker
• Plastic containers with lids
• Flat, thin cold packs

Instructions

1. Pour a bag of ice into each of the coolers, filling the first almost completely and the second only halfway. Use your hands to make the ice level in the coolers.

2. Pack drinks in the fullest cooler, burying them in the ice. Smooth the ice and place an empty plastic cup on top. Spread a flat garbage bag on top of the cubes, tucking the edges of the bag around the ice. This ice will be for human consumption, so the garbage bag will keep it from getting dirty. Use the cup to dig around in the cooler and to scoop ice into other containers.

3. Wrap all food individually in squares of plastic wrap, then in squares of foil. Package different types of food in different zip-top freezer bags (sandwiches in one bag, sliced fruit in another, etc.) and, if you like, use a permanent marker to label each bag. Put any food that can't be wrapped, such as salad, into plastic, lidded containers.

4. Pack the second cooler. Put a flat garbage bag on top of the ice to keep food from getting soggy. Place the plastic containers on top of the garbage bag. Put several flat cold packs on top and along the sides of the containers. Pack bagged items on top of the cold packs and close the cooler tightly.

5. Keep the food cooler closed as much as possible. When you get to the picnic site, don't open that cooler until it is time to eat. Discard any picnic leftovers; if they have been sitting out in the sun for too long, they could cause food poisoning. Only consume ice from the drink cooler.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the garbage bag liner in the drink cooler to collect trash before leaving the picnic site.

• Never pack food items that spoil easily, such as eggs, mayonnaise or raw meats. Even the most careful packing method can't guarantee that these items are safe to eat on a picnic.