PORTLAND – Summertime means camping, picnics, and barbecues. It also means consumers need to be aware that many menu items require extra precaution before eating. Fully cook meats, and do not leave perishable foods exposed.

“In the summer, when you take food outside where you don’t ordinarily cook it and the cook may not be the regular cook in your family, you have to take some special consideration to make sure the food is safe,” says Leslie Lowry, food safety specialist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Proper handling, preparation and storage of food is often more problematic when it is cooked and consumed outdoors, even though most of the same rules apply for both outdoor and indoor food safety.

The famous credo of ODA’s Food Safety Division should be a good guide to all: When in doubt, throw it out.

For more information, contact Lowry at (503) 986-6464.