Summer is finally here, and your family and friends might be planning the annual trip to the beach. However, while the beach breeze may keep you cool, the sun’s hot rays can cause foods to go bad. It is a good idea to take a close look at what you are packing and evaluate if you are bringing anything that requires a refrigerator. Bringing foods that spoil quickly to your days at the beach can pose a severe health threat to your friends and family as well as decrease the taste and appeal of freshly bought foods!
Here is a general list of foods that will not do well in the beach sun:
Meat: Bringing raw meat to the beach to cook later is a bad idea. Raw meat can be a prime spot for bacteria to fester, causing bouts of food poisoning and sickness later. Avoid bringing raw meat into the sun unless you have the intention to cook it immediately. If your plans change and there isn’t a place to cook it, the best decision is to throw it away and buy it again fresh later. Avoid touching foods that you don’t plan to cook to the raw meat; bacteria can spread that way as well.
Cheese and dairy: Cheese will not only become melted quickly in the sun, it is also a place where bacteria likes to grow. Some cheeses can take longer than others to go bad, but as a general rule of thumb you should avoid bringing any dairy products into the heat for prolonged periods of time.
Fish: While you might want to enjoy a cool bagel and lox on the beach, raw or prepared fish will quickly go bad in the sun. Similarly to raw meat, you can expect hosts of bacteria to multiply quickly on fish in the sun. Avoid a night of food poisining by leaving those food items at home.
If you want to bring any of these foods to the beach with you, pack them in an insulated container surrounded by ice or ice packs. Check on your food frequently to make sure the temperature inside is still cool and if at any point you notice the ice melting, grab some back up! The beach is a great place for nonperishable snacks like pretzels, chips, and crackers, but be careful of any dips you bring to go with them.
Don’t pack these foods to the beach
Photo by Kampus Production: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-group-of-friends-having-a-picnic-at-the-beach-7568909/