Food Safety While You Travel

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If you are traveling longer than 30 minutes with cold, perishable food, place it in a cooler with ice or freezer packs.

Have plenty of ice or frozen gel-packs on hand before starting to pack food. Pack perishable foods directly from the refrigerator or freezer into the cooler. Meat and poultry may be packed while it is still frozen; in that way it stays colder longer. A full cooler will maintain its cold temperatures longer than one that is partially filled. If the cooler is only partially filled, pack the remaining space with more ice or with fruit and some non-perishable foods such as peanut butter and jelly.

Be sure to keep raw meat and poultry wrapped separately from cooked foods, or foods meant to be eaten raw such as fruits.

When carrying drinks, consider packing them in a separate cooler so the food cooler is not opened as frequently and will remain cold longer.

During the summer months keep the cooler in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of your car, rather than in a hot trunk. Limit the times the cooler is opened and open and close the lid quickly.

Don’t try to travel more than one hour with hot foods, unless you can be assured of a way to reheat the dish quickly upon arrival. Wrap cookware with newspaper and place the dish in a cooler, which will also help retain heat. Adding a brick to the cooler, warmed in the oven and wrapped in a towel will help maintain heat.

If traveling more than one hour, offer to bring bread or a relish tray, which can be assembled on site.

Denise Sullivan, DSulliva@oznet.ksu.edu
County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences
Leavenworth County, Kansas
Kansas State University Research and Extension