Kellams: College football season begins with a few games this weekend and then fully gets underway the following weekend. The Arkansas Razorbacks kick off the season Saturday, Sept. 5 with a 3:15 game against North Alabama in Fayetteville. Before the game starts, there will be thousands of tailgates with burgers, brats and more. And if that food isn't prepared, served and stored properly, there's a risk of illness.
For our latest installment of Balance, a series dedicated to health, nutrition and exercise, we're thinking about tailgate food safety. My co-host, Jamie Baum, an associate professor in the University of Arkansas Department of Food Science and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the UofA, came to the studio with our guest, Kristen Gibson, an endowed chair, professor of food science and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Kristen says tailgate food safety begins with the basics: clean, separate, cook, chill.
Gibson: We want to be sure we're starting with a clean environment, whether that be our hands, the surfaces we're working on. We want to separate raw from ready to eat always. And that applies in a tailgate season as well.
Anything that needs to be kept cold, we should do that as long as possible before we're serving it or before we're cooking it. We want to cook it to the right temperature. So when we're cooking burgers or brats that are raw, we want to have that thermometer on hand to be sure the temperature is what it should be. Cutting it open and looking does not cut it.
Baum: And what temperature should they be?
Gibson: So chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You have ground beef that is right up there at 160, 165. Pretty much anything that is a raw ground product, 165 for safety. I know people like to cook their meats at all different temperatures and, you know, that's a choice. But ground meat products definitely, you know, safest bet is to keep it at that high temperature.
Kellams: Things that should be cold, keep them cold as long as possible.
Gibson: Yes.
Kellams: Let's take potato salad. We don't want to pick on potato salad. But you know, everyone knows someone, at least, that has a horror story that they think they can connect back to potato salad. It comes out okay. It's early September. How long should we have it out in that Tupperware or in the container before it's time to get it back in?
Gibson: Well, there's a lot of nuances to this, right? And so is it a creamy potato salad? Is it a vinegar-based potato salad? But besides those two things, I would say temperatures in September are still looking pretty hot like they are right now. So keeping it cold as long as possible, putting it out for the immediate meal, maybe 30 minutes to an hour. At this time, I cannot guarantee anything. That's just my guess.
If you see the container starting to sweat, that's a good sign that it needs to be put away. Ideally, there would be a way to keep it cold the whole time, and there are lots of inventive things out there now that if you can get your hands on them and keep it cold, that's going to be the best scenario.
Kellams: So if I have, let's say it's a plastic tub with it, but I've got it in sort of a container with ice and the ice is keeping it cold, you're going to extend.
Gibson: That's like the best, probably the easiest way to try to meet the goal of keeping something cold as long as possible.
Kellams: Yeah. All right. What about something that's been cooked, like a burger patty or a hot dog?
Gibson: A burger patty or a hot dog. So, you know, we typically, what? We put it on a plate, we may cover it with foil because we want to keep it a little warm. And the thing is, if you've cooked it appropriately all the way through, and a hot dog is probably the safest thing because it's already pretty processed. But a burger, if you cooked it all the way through, the risk of something happening, even if it's left out in that heat, is pretty low. You've already gotten rid of all the things that could make you sick. If you're handling it afterwards, you maybe touch that raw patty and now you're handling maybe a cooked patty. That's where you can get in trouble.
Baum: So that idea of keeping things separated and keeping things clean, and also, I guess based on some of the conversations we've had in the past, hand washing. So if you're out tailgating, and maybe the only thing available to you — I've actually never go tailgating because I don't like extreme heat — like, is a porta potty that we know don't have running water. Is there a way to make sure your hands are clean and safe if you're putting, I mean, Kyle's making a really sour face.
Kellams: No, but it's a very good question.
Baum: It is a great, because since we've been friends for a long time, I'm really hyper paranoid now about hand washing because I do not want a bout of norovirus.
Gibson: Absolutely. So we do a lot of hand washing, and I shouldn't say a lot. We have done several hand hygiene studies and looking at different interventions throughout my career.
When you're in a situation where you may or may not have access to running water to wash your hands, there are a few approaches you could take, especially if you're handling food. One, gloves are an option only if you use them appropriately, right? If you're touching raw product with glove, you take those gloves off, change them. It's almost like in a food service environment, but that can be really cumbersome.
And so I always tell people to have like two sets of utensils for handling. So you're not actually handling with your hands. So one for raw and one for cooked. Right. And that's a good way to keep things separated and clean.
As far as washing your hands, there are great alternatives. So there is a group called Handwashing for Life that has developed a protocol that they think works really well, that allows people to use hand sanitizers more effectively in these situations. I don't remember the exact term they called for their method, but it's almost like you use a hand sanitizer. It can be foaming, it can be liquid. You rub until dry. Apply again, rub until dry. Wipe with a paper towel. Done. It's actually shown to be almost as effective as washing your hands with soap and water.
So in these situations, it works really well as long as your hands aren't super, super soiled. Right. And so if you're like handling meat and other things and you've got a lot of grease and other things, like that's going to be difficult, that's going to be hard. So if you can avoid doing that, this method actually works really well for getting your hands clean in these situations. So it's a nice alternative to having to use like running water and soap.
Kellams: Some people start, you know, firing up the grill six, seven, eight hours before kickoff, and then it's a drop in.
Gibson: Mhm.
Kellams: So maybe this question is more Emily Post than food safety, but what is appropriate to ask hosts about the food?
Baum: I mean, I think you can ask how long it's been sitting there.
Gibson: You could. I feel like that would really elicit a lot of, you know, eye rolls and like, oh my gosh, you know, lighten up. And I think, you know, you can ask what you want. Would they know? I don't think you, you know, again, going out, when in doubt, maybe throw it out isn't the right answer here. It's when in doubt, just pass. Right. Just pass. But also, like, you can look, and I can often look and see, like, that looks like it's been sitting out a while. Like, I am definitely not.
Baum: Yeah. I mean, you know, like, and what about condiments? Because, like, relish.
Kellams: Good question.
Baum: Mustard. I think you can store at room temperature.
Gibson: Yeah. Ketchup doesn't have to be refrigerated. It just often is. Mustard is one of those that, you know, it's less susceptible, and it has to do with the acidity in these. So the acidity in ketchup and mustard and relish also, all of those things are going to, you know, pretty much protect those products from issues anyways. Mayonnaise obviously is always the one where you're like, oh, I don't really think we should have mayonnaise out at room temperature or in 90-degree weather for an extended period of time.
So maybe get the little packets that are already, like, they haven't been refrigerated. They've been processed in a way that, like, they are safe, right?
That is a good alternative, is to have these separate packets. And I know, you know, ways and, but it's a good alternative to bringing the big condiment containers.
Baum: So if you were hosting a tailgate — Go, what would your spread look like? Say if the game was, kickoff is at 3:15 —
Kellams: 3:15.
Baums: And you wanted to get there early so you had a good spot, and you're gonna start the festivities at 11 a.m.
Gibson: So what's the timeline again?
Baum: The kickoff at 3:15.
Kellams: So most of your folks are going to be leaving your tailgate by 2:30, let's say. And walk into the stadium.
Baum: But you're kicking your tailgate off around 11. What would you provide people?
Gibson: Well, I mean, for me, like, one, I would — well, I don't, I haven't been to a tailgate in so long. Obviously I would prepare as much as I can before I got there. Right. As far as, like, the patties and all that.
Baum: Would you serve patties?
Gibson: I would. I mean, I would definitely, if I'm grilling, like, I would definitely have, like, hamburgers and hot dogs and brats. Like, I think it's fair. Like, I know what we need to do to keep them safe, right? I know what we need to do to be sure.
So, one, I would fire up the grill. I would keep everything in coolers and I would have one cooler for raw, one cooler for ready to eat. Right. If I can, which I think is doable. Or you would pack them in a way where raw is on the bottom and ready to eat is on top if you only have one cooler.
I would stay away from the salads. Like, that's just me. If I'm going to provide fruit, I'm providing whole fruit. Have an apple, have an orange, have a banana. I'm not going to provide a fruit salad that's already cut up and prepared. I just want to think it's easier.
I would stay away from most potato salads and anything like that, because, one, at a tailgate, I'm like, I want my burger. I want my chips, maybe some chips and salsa. Also, again, staying away from the creamy dips if I want to be safe. I mean, my tailgate may be kind of boring, but I'm going to say, here, have your burger and your chips and here's some beer and some margaritas that I prepared, right? That's my tailgate.
Baum: They'll be thankful the next day when they're not in debilitating discomfort.
Kellams: So I have three other quick questions. You know, we don't want to see flies on our food. We shoo them away. Are flies a problem?
Gibson: I mean, they're more of a sanitary, like, gross. Like, that's kind of gross. Like, we don't want them on there. Yes. There's been work done on how flies can carry pathogens. Like, we don't know where they've been. Right. They like to go to the garbage and other places. So flies certainly are a nuisance, but are they going to be the primary reason you get sick? Probably not. Okay. I would say probably not.
And they have those really handy, like, what are they? They're like fans, but they're like paper. And so they actually do a great job, because as soon as flies feel air movement, they move. Yeah. So I mean, I think the solutions now are much better than when I was growing up for tailgates, where there wasn't a solution. You just dealt with the flies.
Kellams: Number two, let's say something has been out for a long time, probably past a good idea. I put back in the fridge for three hours. Reset.
Gibson: No.
Kellams: Okay.
Gibson: Damage is done. There's no reset. It's done. You're just basically preserving those microorganisms that grew during that, you know, temperature abuse time.
Kellams: So I have a cup of beer. I've set it down. It's 95 degrees. I've walked away for 20 minutes. I come back. Granted, it's warm beer now. Safe?
Gibson: Yes. But gross.
Kellams: But safe. But safe. Right.
Gibson: Well, and that's a really interesting question, because beer that is, like, our normal, you know, alcohol, beer, safe. There's this growing movement in non-alcoholic beer type beverages. And that's where you could have issues that are arising. And a lot of people are starting to look at that. Like, does the removal of alcohol from some of these actually make them more susceptible? Because alcohol acts not only as, like, well, that's fun, but also a preservative.
Kellams: I'm taking away from that message what I want to take away from it.
Baum: And then I also have a question. So say you're at a tailgate. Maybe best food handling practices weren't practiced and you feel effects, say it's a Saturday or Monday or Tuesday. When could people expect to feel the side effects of mishandled food? Because, you know, a lot of times we get the stomach flu, which I know isn't a thing, or like diarrhea, but we don't attribute it to like the food we had maybe two days ago, right? We think, what did I have yesterday or last night or even like that morning? Right? I mean, it's kind of gross, but I think for tracking food safety or, like, you know, accusing your friends, you want to know.
Gibson: So that's another it depends. Right. And so say you did have that potato salad that was sitting out for a while. The pathogen that is most likely responsible is like a Staphylococcus. And that's going to cause immediate vomiting, like within four to six hours. So you can, you know, that's when you'll see those symptoms.
Norovirus, 12 to 24 hours, often attributed to like handling of that food. Undercooked burger patty, like E. coli, you're talking a few days. Salmonella from, you know, mishandled chicken, also another 12- to 24-hour period.
So it really depends on what the culprit is. And so it can be as early as four hours after consuming to as late as, like, three to four days. And that's why it gets really tricky to say, oh, it was that hamburger that I ate at the tailgate that made me sick.
Kellams: Kristen Gibson is professor of food science and director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. My co-host for our series Balance is Jamie Baum, associate professor in the University of Arkansas Department of Food Science and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the UofA. Our conversation was recorded in the Anthony and Susan Hui News Studio.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
