WWBT Write up

Tailgaiting could bring more than just good food

Posted: Oct 26, 2009 5:54 AM Updated: Oct 26, 2009 6:51 PM

By Heather Sullivan - bio | email
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - It's football season, and that means it's time to tailgate! But along with your burgers and bratwurst, you may be packing something else in your cooler that can make you very sick: food poisoning.

Your most challenging opponent at the game, explains Virginia Cooperative Extension food safety expert Twandra Lomax-Brown, is salmonella from touching the raw foods and going back to your cooked foods without washing your hands.

Lomax-Brown says pack your drinks and food in separate coolers and replace ice as it melts. Don't store raw meat in store wrapping. It can leak.

"You want to pack your meats that might leak, such as your ground beef or your chicken, in a zip lock bags so they won't leak on the food that's in the cooler," said Lomax-Brown.

Wash you hands, utensils and work space. Put foil on the grill, clean it, or use a disposable grill, such as the EZ Grill. Use separate utensils for raw and cooked meat, and don't eat anything left out more than two hours.

"Once you're done with your perishable foods, return those directly to your cooler," explained Lomax-Brown.

Those are the rules, so the WMBF News Network peaked into some tailgators' coolers at Richmond International Raceway. Some left meat in it's original packaging, and some put drinks in the same cooler with their raw meat.

However, most followed the rules.