Health department warns of foodborne illnesses on hot Father’s Day

As mid-Missouri endures another hot day with heat advisories, local health department officials warn residents to be aware of issues related to the heat besides heat-related illnesses.

Eric Stann, community relations specialist for the Columbia/Boone County Health Department, said people don’t only need to worry about dehydration and heat exhaustion in the more than 90-degree weather, but they also need to worry about foodborne illnesses on a big grilling day such as Father’s Day.

“Basically, we try to say cold foods cold, hot foods hot during those times that you’re outside,” Stann said. He said not paying attention to food’s temperature can cause foodborne illnesses.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, cold food or hot food should be properly refrigerated or stored within an hour after being opened or cooked in weather 90 degrees or hotter. If the food has been left out longer than an hour, it should be thrown away.

Keeping the food out longer than an hour, or two if the temperature is below 90 degrees, can cause bacteria in the food to grow rapidly, leading to a foodborne illness, according to the FDA.

The FDA said to place cold food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs and to keep the cooler closed as much as possible to help keep the contents cold longer.

For more safety measures to take when grilling or cooking outside, you can visit the FDA’s website here.