BUYING AND STORING FOOD
- When purchasing poultry, seafood or fresh meat, ensure that you check the expiration dates. You should never buy any foods that have already expired. Also, make sure that the expiry date is not within the duration of your camping trip.
- Ensure that you store canned food in a clean, cool and dry place
- When storing seafood, poultry or meat in a cooler. Make sure you wrap the packages in several plastic layers to prevent any leaks.
- If you purchase any perishables, make sure they are refrigerated immediately (normally within 2 hours after purchasing). Perishables have their safe storage times. The following table indicates safe storage times for different perishables in a cooler at 400F and below. These time guidelines are best to use even if the food starts out frozen. Foods below 00F will tend to last longer since foods cannot be kept frozen in a cooler for a very long time. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends the following storage times.
- Make sure your food is kept in airtight containers in case you will be camping in a location that is prone to bears. Alternatively, you can maintain the food in the car or hang them from branches a few yards from the campsite.
- Dump any cans of food that are rusted, leaking, bulging or dented.