Keep your Memorial Day cookout safe with these essential tips!

Many will be grilling in lite of Memorial Day; however, the CDC warns that millions could get sick from grilling mistakes.

Meredith Carothers, a food and safety expert with USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, shares some crucial tips to ensure your cookout is safe and enjoyable.

“I would say the biggest would be not fully cooking the foods on the grill. Using the same utensil that you use to put all the raw stuff on the grill to take the cooked stuff. Certain bacteria can live on surfaces for like 72 hours so. Think about it. You’re making dinner. You’ve touched chicken. Touched your spice containers without washing your hands. And then in the morning you’re cooking eggs and you want to use the same spice in your eggs or something. And then that gets all touched to other places. So yeah, it’s just crazy what your hands can move around.”

For more food safety tips, or if you have questions, click HERE.

Related Stories
As markets anticipate a return to normal trading following the New Year’s holiday, the possibility of the southern border re-opening to cattle is capturing much attention.
Benchmark machinery costs against those of similar-sized, high-performing operations to inform equipment and investment decisions.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Farmer Bridge Assistance payments provide immediate balance-sheet support heading into 2026, but remain a short-term bridge rather than a substitute for long-term market recovery.
The New Year is here, but in Oregon, some ranchers and livestock producers are still trying to recover from record wildfires back in 2024.
The U.S. Forest Service takes us on the same journey from a tree farm in Nevada across America to experience the magic of Christmas in the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-IA, details how the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” Act (OBBBA) supports farmers, biofuels, and rural communities with tax breaks, crop insurance relief, and ag infrastructure.
Jake Charleston of Specialty Risk Insurance shares risk-reduction strategies to help cattle producers prepare for a successful year ahead.
Oregon FFA CEO Kjer Kizer discusses the proposed budget reductions, potential consequences, and the importance of protecting learning opportunities for students interested in agriculture.