JONATHAN HAYWARD/THE CANADIAN PRESS

As temperatures soar so does the risk of food going bad in the summer heat.

Serve up a safe summer picnic

Chantal LaCosta loves a good picnic.

Dining al fresco by a lake while sprawled on her grandmother's patchwork quilt ranks as one of her favourite activities. But even after countless meals outdoors LaCosta still encounters the occasional mushy batch of fruit or a snack that doesn't taste right.

As temperatures soar so does the risk of food going bad in the summer heat. "I never really thought about making sure it's safe," says 24-year-old LaCosta.

Avoid the tummy ache from the dip that went sour by following a few steps to keep food fresh.

The most important investment for serious picnickers who want to stay safe is a good cooler or several ice packs. "You should put everything on ice, the lower the temperature, the less the bacterial growth," says Hélène Charlebois, an Ottawa-based dietitian and nutritionist.

Fresh foods need to stay out of a bacterial temperature danger zone which ranges between 4 C and 40 C. Meals should be kept very cold or very hot to last out the day.

"Always try to keep food less than four hours at room temperature, that's the max," says Charlebois.

Any protein you pack should be kept as cool as possible before and during your outing. Meat should be kept cold even before it is slipped into sandwiches. Place all prepared food at the bottom of a fridge before placing them in a cooler.

When packing for your picnic load up on the fresh stuff.

"For those power picnic foods fruits and veggies are the best," says Charlebois.

These crunchy munchies are packed with vitamins and minerals and carry the lowest risk in terms of food contamination outdoors. .

A healthy picnic can also involve less preparation work. Packing whole fruit and cheeses for the road is better than chopping them up into bite-sized morsels.

"The more you cut up food, the more chance it's exposed to air and bacteria," Charlebois says. Make sure all fruits and vegetables are washed thoroughly before slicing into them on site.

When packing condiments, hold the mayo and ditch the home-made dip. Anything with a lot of dairy or raw egg can go bad fast. Stick with commercial dips and dressings that are pasteurized.

Pack lots of leafy greens but keep your dressing in a separate container ready to toss in once you're set up on your picnic blanket. Salads will stay fresh and bacteria will be kept to a minimum in this way.

For worry-free nibbles, dry snack foods like crackers, nuts and raisins are picnic perfect. These are easy to pack and have a minimal bacteria risk, says Charlebois.

Don't be afraid to add a touch of panache to your picnic. Experiment with prosciutto, pickles or olives, says Takashi Ito, picnic expert and executive chef at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria. These cured products will retain their distinctive flavour in a shady area.

However, leave the seafood at home and forgo the chocolate. Ito says cold cuts and dry sweets are a better alternative.

Make a distinction between snacks and full meals to ensure you get a balanced intake of all food groups to sustain you.

And even if you're a sun-lover always try to seek out the shade, at least for your meal.

"Don't leave food lying around in the sun. And when you're done, put the food away," says Nick Foglia, food service manager at the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.

Drinking lots of water and slathering on sunscreen as the day progresses is also important, Foglia says.

Finally, don't forget to enjoy the outdoor dining experience with your well-planned picnic basket.