By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Warm weather picnics and parties are great for seeing friends and family. Following a few rules can help to make sure that you and your guests stay healthy. According to FDA’s website:

• Any perishable foods including salads, dips, main dishes, desserts that need to be stored in the refrigerator, and vegan cheese platters should be discarded after being left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
• If it’s a hot day with temperatures above 90 °F, perishable foods should be discarded after being left out at room temperature for more than an hour.
• If you send food home with your guests, make sure that they can refrigerate their leftovers within the 2 hour (or 1 hour for hot days) limit.
• If cold food is going to stay out longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour on a hot day), keep food on ice so that it stays chilled.
• Foods that are served hot should be kept at an internal temperature of 140 °F or warmer in a slow cooker or chafing dish or on a warming tray. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of the food.

The FDA’s website offers many more ideas for food safety although not all are specifically for vegans.

To read more about vegan food safety see:

A Quick Food Safety Review

Nutrition Hotline (see page 2)