Food safety at camp and in shelters: clean, separate, cook, chill, and what Japan adds

FoodSafety.gov estimates that 1 in 6 Americans will get sick from food poisoning this year, and that it sends 128,000 Americans to the hospital each year. The risk goes up when you cook without a proper kitchen, whether that's at a campsite or after a disaster. Japan's health ministry warns that after a disaster, food poisoning becomes more likely because food can't be kept cold.

The four steps (FoodSafety.gov)

Japan's health ministry frames the same idea as three principles for bacteria: don't let germs get on food, don't let them multiply, and kill them. Its heating guide is 75°C (167°F) at the center of the food for at least 1 minute, and 75°C or more when reheating leftovers.

When there's no running water

Japan's agriculture ministry, writing for shelters and community kitchens, says to wash hands with running water and soap before cooking, serving and plating. When water is short, it gives a three-step fallback:

1. Wipe off visible dirt with a wet towel or wet wipes.
2. Rub plenty of alcohol hand sanitizer into your hands.
3. Put on clean disposable gloves.

Don't sanitize gloves with alcohol and reuse them. To keep dishes clean without water, wrap plates in plastic wrap and throw the wrap away after use.

Cooking for a crowd: Japan's rules for shelters

• Serve cooked food as much as possible, and avoid raw food.
• Don't serve leftovers or food that has sat at room temperature for a long time again.
• Make rice balls (onigiri) with disposable gloves or plastic wrap, never bare hands. Japan has had shelter outbreaks of staph food poisoning traced to rice balls.
• People with diarrhea, a fever or cuts on their hands shouldn't cook or serve food (health ministry).
• In shelters, eat food when it's handed out rather than saving it for later.
• Sanitize dishes and utensils with boiling water, by boiling them, or by soaking them in diluted chlorine bleach.

At camp (our suggestions)

• Bring two sets of tongs and boards: one for raw meat, one for everything else.
• Pack a food thermometer; it weighs almost nothing.
• Keep the cooler in shade and open it as little as possible; put raw meat at the bottom in sealed bags.
• Cook only what you'll eat, and eat it soon.
• For one-pot cooking with almost no washing up, see Bag cooking.