Essentials For a Healthy Picnic

Summer is the perfect time to have a picnic. Simply gather a few blankets, fill your picnic hamper with delicious snacks, and spend some time in the sun with your friends and family.  To ensure your picnic is one to remember for all the right reasons, here are a few helpful tips.

Best Picnic Food Ideas

Picnics should be fun and relaxing.  Prep all your food beforehand so that you don't need to worry about assembling ingredients once you have arrived at your destination.  Focus on finger foods that are easy to eat (bite sized), and stay away from sauces that might drip.  Simple and portable food suggestions include: .

• Sandwiches and wraps with a variety of fillings
• Carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks with hummus
• Deviled eggs
• Lemonade
• Sliced watermelon
• Cookies

Remember to pack serving utensils and reusable plates.  Also, consider saving chocolate, or anything that might melt, for another time.

Food Safety for a Picnic

When you’re preparing a picnic, it’s not just the simplicity of your food that you need to keep in mind, you also need to consider food safety.

• Wash your fruits and vegetables at home before you pack them into your basket as you might not have access to water at your picnic site.
• Remind your guests to wash their hands before eating.  Use water from a reusable container or hand sanitizer, if necessary.
• Pack your food in cooler bags with freezer packs to ensure it stays at a safe temperature: below 4°C or 40°F (approximately the temperature of your refrigerator).   Bacteria can form when food gets too warm
• Keep your food covered during the picnic to protect it from insects
• Don’t let food sit out for more than two hours.  If the temperature is above 32°C or  90°F, food should not be out for more than one hour.