McLean County Health Department with some food safety tips for summer cookouts

Posted on July 3, 2024
grilling
More food safety tips can be found here. (Flickr/emertz76)

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – While the warmer weather may be ideal for outdoor cookouts and barbecues, the summer months typically see a spike in reports of foodborne illness.

According to the CDC, cooking and serving food outdoors is the perfect environment for foodborne illness.

Linda Foutch is the environmental health supervisor at the McLean County Health Department. She sat down for an interview recently on the midday show with WJBC’s Neil Doyle.

WJBC interview with Linda Foutch and Marianne Manko from the McLean County Health Department

Foutch says make sure you are cooking all meat and poultry to the recommended internal temperatures. For steaks and chops that’s 145 degrees … ground beef and pork 160 degrees … and chicken to 165 degrees.

Some other food safety tips include washing your hands often and make sure to clean surfaces and utensils.

Every year in the U.S. – one in six people will be stricken with food poisoning.

More food safety tips can be found here.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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